15 August 2023 , 06:57
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Princess Anne has earned a reputation for being a hardworking and no-nonsense royal.
And her son-in-law Mike Tindall once revealed her hilarious unimpressed three-word quip after he suffered an awkward moment in front of the princess, who celebrates her 73rd birthday today.
Mike, who is married to Anne's daughter Zara, revealed the story while he was a contestant on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
The confession came as the former rugby player revealed to fellow campmates Seann Walsh and Babatúndé Aléshé that he was a fan of dancing but sometimes this leads to suits ripping due to his rugby player physique.
Mike Tindall with his mother-in-law Princess Anne (Getty Images)He said: "I love a suit. My problem with suits is I over exaggerate dancing at weddings… I rip a lot of suits, trousers and stuff." Seann laughed and replied: "Course you do."
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Mike continued: "The old sl*t drop gets me every time. I went to a wedding, ripped a suit, they were like, 'Oh my god, what are you going to do?' I was like, 'Don't worry, I've got a spare.' They were like, 'Who brings a spare suit?' Someone who rips a lot of trousers brings a spare suit." The professional sportsman added: "Zara had like a 30th birthday, it was a disco 70s-themed one, I was dancing on the dance floor.
Mike is married to Anne's daughter Zara"I had like flares on, full outfit but it was quite tight, nothing ever fits - rugby player's bum and legs, so I was dancing with my mother-in-law and I did a sl*t drop in front of my mother-in-law. I ripped my trousers, straight in front of her, it happened to be that my boxers that I had on at that time said 'nibble my nuts'," he said, before revealing: "As I've turned round, she's gone, 'I'd rather not.' I've gone, 'I'm going' and walked off."
Last year Anne once again earned the title of the hardest-working member of the Royal Family. The Princess Royal carried out 214 engagements in 2022, including trips to the US and the Falkland Islands.
It was the highest number of official engagements according to analysis of the Court Circular, the official registry of visits and duties by senior royals. Anne also led the royal engagements league in 2021, when she attended 387 engagements, as well as in 2018, 2016 and 2015.
Second in last year’s rankings was her brother King Charles, who took the throne last September after the death of their mother, the Queen. He completed 181 engagements, analysis by Reboot SEO Company found, almost 40 more than those carried out by his younger brother, Prince Edward, who came in third position.