Mike Tindall has taken part in a ‘blindfolded parking challenge’ for the car company Honda in his latest appearance in a series of adverts.
The husband of the monarch’s niece Zara and former rugby international, 44, has appeared in a number of advertising campaigns in recent months, including for Domino’s and Amazon.
And last night, the I’m a Celebrity star took to Instagram to share the 90 minute long clip, which showed him taking on a parking challenge alongside his former England teammate and fellow podcaster James Haskell.
Mike – who has previously admitted he ‘always worried about money’ – and his wife Zara, 41, each have a long list of brand ambassadorships with names such as Musto, Rolex, Land Rover, which are estimated to bring in more than £1 million a year, but many are tied to sport and horse riding.
Mike Tindall has taken part in a ‘blindfolded parking challenge’ in a promotional video for the car company Honda
His most recent promotional clip was shared on The Good, The Bad and the Rugby Instagram page yesterday.
The post read: ‘Driving mauls, wheeling scrums, golf buggies on the M4 – rugby and motorsports’ special relationship is well-established!
‘Now, in a motor-challenge special, Team GBR and Team GSR take the wheels of two brand new HR-V Hybrids.
‘First up, The Blindfold Challenge!’
The husband of the monarch’s niece Zara and former rugby international, 44, has appeared in a number of advertising campaigns, including for Domino’s and Amazon – and starred in I’m A Celebrity last month
The 90 second clip then showed Mike alongside his fellow podcast hosts as they took on the driving challenge.
An instructor explained: ‘The first challenge today is going to involve reversing from one set of cones into another.
‘Easy you might say, but not so easy when we throw in the fact someone will be wearing a blind fold.’
He placed a blindfold across his face as he got behind the wheel of the car, while James said: ‘I love it, naughty little Honda.’
James then began instructing Mike, telling him to reverse before turning the car.
As James said he couldn’t see the cones, Mike joked: ‘Rotate your spine!’
The clip comes after a busy couple of months for Mike, who is believed to have wracked in £600,000 for his Amazon and Domino’s adverts, as well as his appearance on I’m a Celebrity.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams previously said Charles would be ‘keeping his eye’ on Mike, adding: ‘King Charles must be considering where, today, the line can be drawn… Mike and Zara were never working royals.
‘His advertising of a brand of pizza and sojourn in the jungle do however raise the question: Is anything off limits and should it be? Obviously they must earn but are there limits as to how?’
Richard said: ‘The area of royals and celebrity endorsements as well as their participation in unusual enterprises has an unhappy history.
‘Anyone who remembers It’s a Royal Knockout cringes inwardly. It was terrible tripe! Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son and his ex-wife Autumn Kelly were reportedly paid £500,000 for a wedding deal in Hello! This featured the royal family in a totally unacceptable way.
‘King Charles will undoubtedly be keeping a watchful eye on Mike Tindall’s latest plans including his laddish advertisement for Domino’s Pizza and his appearance, which is likely to be widely watched, in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
‘Both Mike Tindall and his wife Zara, who is 20th in line to the throne, are extremely popular. Their contributions in the field of rugby and in equestrian matters are well known.
‘However are they royals or celebrities or, somehow, both? They are high achievers, that we know. King Charles must be considering where, today, the line can be drawn.
His most recent promotional clip was shared on The Good, The Bad and the Rugby Instagram page yesterday and showed him parking a car while wearing a blind fold
Meanwhile brand expert Nick said: ‘With these kind of ad deals, Mike Tindall will be making around £300,000 for the Domino’s advert. For the Amazon, which he is not in as much, around £150,000 for this.
‘He’s maximising on his appeal and the fact that there are rugby fixtures coming up and all the media surrounding the royal family and I’m A Celeb.
‘It’s a winning move for him and his appeal.’
Mike has previously been dubbed the Royal Family’s ‘secret weapon’ and the ‘cool, fun uncle’ after impressing fans during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where he dutifully accompanied his wife to several events over the four-day weekend.
During the clip, Mike received instructions from his fellow podcaster and former rugby ace James Haskell
The father-of-three entertained an unruly Prince Louis, four, during the Platinum Pageant in June, and appeared in typically jovial spirits throughout the celebrations, where he was on hand to help out with all the royal children.
Mike, his wife, their children, Mia, eight, Lena, four, and Lucas, one, and Princess Anne are often spotted out and about enjoying family days out together whenever keen equestrian Zara is performing in a horse show.
The former rugby ace and Zara, who were first introduced at the 2003 World Cup, enjoy a ‘normal’ life – at least within royal circles – and live with their daughters and son in relative privacy.
However, they still reap the benefits of lucrative contacts that they may have secured, at least in part, thanks to their positions within the Royal Family.
During the playful clip, in which James called the Honda car ‘naughty’, Mike wore a blindfold as he tried to park
Mike – who has previously admitted he ‘always worried about money’ – appeared in good spirits in the clip
The Tindalls, who live at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, Princess Anne’s royal estate, also dedicate a significant amount of time to charitable causes and have phonebooks dotted with celebrity names.
He confessed last year that he ‘always worries about money’ for bills and school fees – after his income dried up during the pandemic and brand ambassador roles ‘won’t last for ever’.
Speaking to The Times, he said that despite being a member of the Royal Family and living on the Princess Royal’s sprawling Gatcombe Estate in Gloucestershire, where it’s not clear if the couple pay rent on their cottage, he always worries about his financial situation.
Zara’s mother Princess Anne turned down the Queen’s offer of courtesy royal titles for her children when they were born, leaving them to pursue their own careers.
Mike appeared in a number of adverts in recent months, including a promotional video for Amazon Prime UK, pictured
He also poked fun at his royal connections during an advert for pizza delivery company Domino’s
‘You’ve got to plan and now with a third on the way and what’s coming down the line in terms of school bills, fees to pay,’ Mike said.
Most of his income now comes from brand ambassadorships, sponsorships and after-dinner speeches. As a result, his income was hit during the pandemic because many hospitality events were cancelled.
‘I was very fortunate that I had a couple of ambassadorial roles, so you know there’s money coming in, but sponsorships won’t last for ever,’ he said.
At the time, he said that being part of the Firm but needing to earn a living is ‘something you just get used to’, adding: ‘It has its benefits and its negatives.
‘You think about what you do and you have to be aware of it but it doesn’t necessarily dictate. Zara and I have always been good at getting on with what’s right for us.’
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