Mike and Zara Tindall don't eat Christmas dinner with their kids due to strict royal rule
Ex-England rugby star Mike Tindall revealed that he and wife Zara don't actually sit down with their children for Christmas dinner.
The former Rugby World Cup winner, who has been married to the King's niece since 2011, admitted the surprising revelation back in 2022. The Royal Family annual festive dinner – which takes place at the Sandringham Estate – has a separate room for the royal children to traditionally sit in, which is away from the adults.
The 46-year-old discussed the strict tradition on the House of Rugby podcast two years ago in what was the first time in three years the royals were able to celebrate Christmas at the Norfolk premises due to the Covid pandemic.
READ MORE: I broke royal protocol meeting King Charles – his security guard grabbed my hand
READ MORE: Prince Harry's visit to PDC Darts with friends meant strict rule had to be followed by organisers
The couple share three children, Mia, 10, Lena, 6, and Lucas, 4 – and it was the pair's two daughters who accompanied them to Sandringham in 2022. But once they stepped foot inside the building, they didn't sit together.
He said: "This is the other one, the family lunch, there must be about 70 of us there – there are seven tables and then the kiddies have their own little one in a different room."
The long-standing tradition had the late Queen to thank, according to her former chef, Darren McGrady, who credited the former monarch for continuing the annual practice. The royals also reportedly host a Secret Santa present exchange every year, with the family members gifting each other cheap joke presents as a laugh.
According to royal expert Brian Hoey: "During the afternoon, they all creep down to the drawing room and secretly place their gifts on the table."
During Tindall's stint on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2022, he revealed how he met Princess Anne's daughter. "I was at the World Cup, she was out watching. I got dropped from the semi-final," he said.
"I was [expletive] off and so I went for a beer with another guy who got dropped and a guy who was over [in Sydney]. They'd met her before and they introduced us and then got chatting from there."
