Mike Tindall knows 'what he can and cannot say' on I'm a Celebrity

He's well versed in the royal way according to one expert

Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall attend the ISPS Handa Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic at The Belfry on May 17, 2019 in Sutton Coldfield, England
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty)

As you might have heard, Mike Tindall is competing on the new series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, the first member of the Royal Family to appear on the ITV reality show.

This might seem like a pretty daring choice for a royal, even a non-working royal like Mike, but one expert thinks the former rugby player — who is married to Zara Tindall — knows exactly what he's doing.

"I expect Mike will be well aware of what he can say and cannot say whilst on the show," royal reporter Charles Rae tells Marie Claire on behalf of Slingo.

"He is shrewd, so I wouldn't expect he would reveal any family secrets.

"However, that does not mean that some people will not want to cause mischief and quiz him on the royals, particularly Harry and Meghan.

"Mike has appeared on various programmes in the past and he has managed to keep quiet about family matters.

"His Royal Family topics, if there are any, will be mainly about things the general public know. I suspect Matt Hancock is likely to have a much tougher time!"

But, Charles acknowledges, nobody is perfect, and it's of course possible that Mike could slip up. Still, this wouldn't be a disaster, the expert predicts.

"The Royal Family has coped with all sorts of things the past few years, so I’m sure they will cope in the unlikely event Mike speaks out of turn," he projects.

"I am sure he will have discussed matters, particularly with Zara and also senior palace aides."

Charles believes that Mike, being a former professional athlete, will fare just fine as he attempts to survive in the jungle. He also thinks that certain royals will be eager to watch his performance.

"Mike and Zara are popular within the Royal Family, with close ties to William and Catherine," Charles says.

"They often spend time together and have children of similar ages, so it is all happy families."

He adds, "Zara will clearly be glued to the screen, but I also suspect his mother-in-law, Princess Anne, will be tuning in as well.

"William and Catherine, who are close to the Tindalls, will want to see how he gets on. I expect the King and Queen will be getting progress reports and might just occasionally tune in."

I'm A Celebrity continues tonight at 9pm on ITV. 

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.