Mike Tindall has admitted in his new book that he regrets not asking the late Queen Elizabeth more questions when he had the chance.

Zara Tindall’s husband gave a rare insight into life within the Royal Family in his new book The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed, released October 24, and opened up about spending time with the late monarch.

In the book he co-authored with Alex Payne and James Haskell, Princess Anne’s son-in-law spoke about “watching the races with her on TV” and opened up about wishing he had asked her more things when she was alive.

He wrote about the late Queen’s death in 2022: “Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that. It’s like the world has lost its grandmother in some way.

“I also have loads of regrets about not asking her so many more things… Having nervousness when you sit there, get that lucky seat of being sat next to her.

“Going back through history and everything she’s possibly seen; 15 prime ministers, I don’t know how many presidents.”

Elsewhere, the former England rugby union star wrote about what life behind closed doors was with the late monarch.

He revealed: “I’m sometimes asked if the Queen did informality like ‘normal’ people, and the answer to that is yes.

“Her life wasn’t like an episode of Downton Abbey, with meals on long tables and everyone dressed in their finery every night, and Zara and I would often watch the racing with her on TV, as I’m sure lots of people reading this have done with their gran.

“Lunches were also relaxed, especially up in Scotland, where lunch would often be heading out into the open space of the Scottish Highlands for a picnic.

“There’s a great picture of my daughter Mia sitting with the Duke of Edinburgh that captures exactly what those afternoons were like: members of a very close family who loved each other dearly spending precious time together.

“Yes, there’s a lot of drama surrounding the royal family, but they aren’t much different to anyone else underneath it all.”