James Haskell: ‘I’ve spent time with the royals. Some aren’t as great as others’

In October, Mike Tindall and his pod-bro friends released a book, all about their lives and their successful rugby-themed podcast, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby. Tindall does the pod with James Haskell and Alex Payne, and all three men are former pro rugby players. To promote their book, they gave an interview to the Telegraph which was largely about how much they hate the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Tindall said, out of nowhere, that “marrying into the Royal family was pretty easy for me. They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really.” It would never occur to him that he was treated differently because he’s a white man marrying an untitled member of the family. In the same interview, James Haskell took a pointed swipe at “odd bloke” Omid Scobie, saying: “Royal fans can be mental. We all know that American royal fans are f—king nuts, especially Scobieites.” Last year, Haskell also publicly spoke about how Harry stopped being “fun” when he met Meghan. Well, Haskell recently chatted with the Times, and he had more thoughts about his mate’s royal connections.

On the tabloids: “The tabloids play very fast and loose with the truth. Unfortunately now, with my separation, I’ll be photographed with numerous girls and I’m not dating any of them. I can’t do anything about it.

On the royals: “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.

His joke at Mike’s wedding: “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.”

Mike & Zara’s wedding: “Mike and Zara’s wedding was full of rugby players. It was the perfect combination of ceremony and romance, coupled with the fact that both of them like to enjoy themselves. Did I wake up the next morning on my bed still in my black tie thinking, “Jesus, what did I do last night?” Potentially, yes.”

[From The Times]

“Some aren’t as great as others.” I know he didn’t name names, but come on, given all that’s happened, we’re absolutely supposed to know/believe that he’s talking about Harry. Mike Tindall, Zara, and Mike’s friends have really gone all-in on cozying up to William and Kate in particular. Mike has billed himself as William’s new brother. These guys all used to be friendly with Harry, but now they “hate” him and subtweet him at every opportunity. This is also hilarious: “To those who want to get rid of the monarchy — once they’re gone, they’re gone. There’s no way back from that.” LMAO, don’t threaten us with a good time.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.