Mike Tindall has admitted that the Royal Family’s first Christmas without the Queen will be ‘very different’ as he dodged all questions about Prince Harry following the royal’s bombshell Netflix documentary.
The Royal Family will be spending the festive period at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk for the first time since The Queen passed away at the age of 96 in September.
Despite reportedly being invited to the celebrations, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to spend Christmas at their home in California after unleashing fresh bombshells on the Firm with their Netflix docu-series earlier this month.
Mike opened up about his family’s festive plans on the latest episode of his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, which he co-hosts with James Haskell and Alex Payne.
Mike Tindall opened up about his festive plans on his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby
Filming a Christmas special of the show for YouTube, Mike – who appeared in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here earlier this month – was seen dressed in a Santa hat and wrapped in a strand of gold tinsel.
When asked by host Alex Payne if Christmas for the royals would be ‘very different’, Mike replied: ‘Yeah, it probably will be. I don’t really know, I’m quite looking forward to it.
‘Obviously, there’s a lot of change, there’s lots of firsts.’
This year will be the first time King Charles delivers a Christmas speech to the nation – something the Queen did every year of her 70 year reign.
The Royals will spend their first Christmas without The Queen (pictured in 2021) this year
James Haskell joked if the Royals will be playing ‘pin the tail on Prince Harry’ in his absence this Christmas. The Duke of Sussex pictured during his bombshell Netflix docu-series
James Haskell then cheekily brought up the subject of Duke of Sussex and jokingly asked if the family would be playing ‘pin the tail on Prince Harry’ in his absence.
Refusing to answer the question, Mike remained stony-faced as James joked that the royals could place Harry’s face on a pinata instead.
In response, Mike then said he hadn’t missed his co-hosts ‘diving around with where they go with stories’ while he was in the I’m a Celeb jungle in Australia.
Later on the episode, Mike then reveals what his 20-month-old son Lucas wants for Christmas.
Giving an adorable insight into day-to-day family life in the Tindall household, Mike revealed that his youngest child is fascinated with the contents of the family fridge at their home in Gloucester.
While James explains that he’ll be giving his baby daughter Bodhi a box full of wrapping paper for the next two years, Mike said he should consider gifting a bag of frozen peas instead.
Mike Tindall appeared stony-faced as his co-host made a joke about his wife’s cousin
Mike gave a heartwarming insight into life in the Tindall household in the episode. The father-of-three said 20-month-old Lucas loves ‘pouring frozen peas on the floor’
Mike said: ‘That’s all Lucas wants. A bag of frozen peas [to] pour out on the floor.
‘He’s got a playroom full of stuff – not interested. [He’ll] go to the fridge, take all the milk out, try and crack the bottle, spill it all on the floor.’
Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex unleashed fresh blows on the Royal Family when the final episodes of their Netflix documentary were released.
Speaking publicly about the infamous ‘Sandringham Summit’ for the first time, the Duke of Sussex claimed Prince William ‘screamed and shouted’ at him after he announced he was quitting the Royal Family with his wife.
Meanwhile, the father-of-two also sensationally claimed that King Charles ‘said things that just simply weren’t true’ after refusing to sign off on Harry’s request for a ‘half in, half-out’ Megxit deal.
Last month, royal author Jennie Bond said King Charles’ first Christmas as monarch will be ‘less buttoned up’ than previous years.
Speaking to Ok!, the expert says King Charles will break the family’s tradition of always gathering to watch the monarch’s television address when it airs in the afternoon.
Instead, the expert says Charles will ditch this ‘archaic’ ritual and instead want his loved ones to focus on reminiscing about their happy times with the Queen.
The royals are still expected to attend a service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate before returning home for their Christmas meal.
The royals are still expected to spend Christmas at the Sandringham estate (pictured) as usual
The Queen pictured leading the Royal Family out of the St Mary Magdalene Church service on the Sandringham Estate Christmas Day in 2017
In November, it was reported King Charles invited Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to the family’s Christmas celebrations, despite them quitting royal duties almost three years ago.
But a source close to the King said: ‘They are unlikely to attend.’
It will be the first time that Charles hosts the annual family gathering and Christmas break at the private estate in Norfolk.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will be there, staying at nearby Anmer Hall, the home they were given by the Queen.
Other family members are expected to join the King and Queen Consort on their walk to church on Christmas morning.
The Royal Family has made Sandringham their base for Christmas and New Year since 1988.
Although the family traditionally spends the holiday at the country estate, the last few years had seen a change in routine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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