Inside the 'brotherly' friendship between Prince William and Mike Tindall

May 2024 · 3 minute read

Mike Tindall and Prince William are known to have a close friendship, with the duo often seen laughing together at events like Royal Ascot.

William is known to have a close bond with his cousin Mike's wife Zara Tindall, and so it's not surprising to see that William and Mike have found themselves enjoying each other's company. And what's more, their children have also become close, with Prince Louis seen walking with Mia Tindall at last year's Christmas outing to Sandringham.

WATCH: Relive Prince William's reaction to Mike Tindall's cheeky nickname

Join HELLO! as we take a look into what the pair have said about each other and delve into their friendship…

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Speaking to the Telegraph, royal biographer Ingrid Seward explained how the pair's bond has been strengthened by Mike's down-to-earth nature. "Mike Tindall has that kind of sportsman camaraderie that would especially appeal to William, who was once a wild boy himself," she told the publication.

"Mike gets funnier under the influence of alcohol and can be totally outrageous. William cannot do this anymore as he is too aware of his responsibilities. But he can live vicariously through Mike."

Dickie Arbiter, a former spokesperson for Buckingham Palace agreed with this, telling the in a separate interview: "They are two peas from the same pod, they've just had different upbringings."

Such is their camaraderie, that William, alongside his wife, Princess Kate, was a guest on Mike's rugby podcast, The Good, The Bad and the Rugby ahead of the Six Nations tournament.

The duo are also in frequent contact with one another, with Mike previously revealing that the pair were in a WhatsApp group together. "Me, my brother and then a few of Zara's side like her brother Pete [Phillips] and the cousins are on WhatsApp groups," he shared. "I wouldn't say we're cutting edge, but it's just easier for some reason on WhatsApp.

"It's just what you do to try and set up get-togethers and we are going to something that is the same. If you are going to go, [we discuss things like] 'Are you going to take the kids?' Quite a lot of people have family WhatsApp groups."

When it came to Mike taking part on 2022'sI'm a Celebrity, the former rugby star decided to reach out to the royal ahead of his appearance. Revealing William's reaction on his rugby podcast, Mike shared: "I spoke to the Prince of Wales about it and he said 'Great, go have fun'."

Mike's bond with William isn't just one he shares with the Prince of Wales, but it also extends to the father-of-three's children. At Sandringham, he was seen wrapping his arm around Prince George, while he kept Prince Louis entertained with 'watching you' gestures during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

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