James Haskell, former England rugby player and close friend of Prince Harry, has shared intriguing insights about his interactions with the royal family.
Known for his strong ties to the royals through his friendship with Harry and his bond with Mike Tindall, Haskell co-hosts a popular rugby podcast with Tindall.
These connections earned him invitations to both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018 and Zara and Mike Tindall’s wedding in 2011.
In a recent interview to promote his book The Good, The Bad and The Rugby - Unleashed, co-authored with Tindall and fellow podcast host Alex Payne, Haskell reflected on his time spent with members of the royal family.
He described what it’s like to interact with them, adding a mix of humour and critique to his account. His commentary included lighthearted anecdotes as well as a candid, cryptic verdict on the royals.
He told The Times: "I've spent time with the royals. Some aren't as great as others. They do amazing work — but they're also a modern family that's very dysfunctional. I went to Harry and Meghan's wedding. I went to Mike and Zara's wedding. To those who want to get rid of the monarchy — once they're gone, they're gone. There's no way back from that, so remember that they serve an important role. I love what they do."
In the same interview, he also admitted to an 'inappropriate' joke he made at Mike and Zara's wedding.
He said: "I told a joke about when I was at Mike's wedding: Prince Andrew was sweating up a storm on the dancefloor, but then he realised that everyone was over 18 so he left. It was inappropriate, but it was funny."
The joke refers to how the Duke of York denied he was dancing and sweating with Virginia Giuffre at Tramp nightclub in London in his infamous Newsnight interview, where he claimed he had a medical condition, which made him unable to sweat.
This follows James Haskell’s revelations about his experiences with the royal family in his recently released book, co-authored with royal family member Mike Tindall.
In the book, Haskell recounts an instance when Mike made a sharp remark about Prince Harry during a live event, years after Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals. Haskell also shares that the playful comment sparked a "minor kerfuffle."
He writes: "He [Mike] even got into a bit of trouble when he appeared on a live version of A Question of Sport: he told a story about him and Iain Balshaw pretending to punch Prince Harry at a post-World Cup final party in 2003 and joked that the royal family wanted to fill him in for real. I say trouble but it was a bit of a minor kerfuffle, nothing to write home about."
