As the most famous family in Britain, it’s unsurprising that the royals are habitually private people.
Nevertheless, there have been some rare occurrences when the firm have allowed cameras behind the scenes to paint a more candid portrait of the family.
Perhaps most notorious was the 1969 Royal Family documentary which was felt to be too revealing of the family’s day-to-day activities and was later banned from being broadcast again by Queen Elizabeth II.
But in the modern digital age, the family have found new ways to humanise their image often by sitting down for relaxed conversations about something they are passionate about.
Indeed, the late Queen did just that for an interview with David Attenborough in 2018 where they bonded over their shared love of nature.
More recently, in 2023, the Princess Royal alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales sat down for a special episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby.
As avid rugby fans, and due to presenter Mike Tindalls’ royal connection through his marriage to Anne’s daughter Zara, the royals were the perfect guests for the popular podcast. And today is the couple’s 14th wedding anniversary.
Writing in their book about the podcast, the show’s hosts – Mike, Alex Payne and James Haskell – revealed details about the very royal-themed episode.
Princess Anne, Prince William and Princess Catherine join the hosts of the Good, the Bad and the Rugby for a special episode of the podcast in 2023
Recalling the meeting, host James Haskell had his own royal blunder when he addressed William as ‘Aah, your Royal Highness. You alright boss?’
When he was introduced to Prince William, James said he was briefed on how to address members of the family beforehand.
James said: ‘When William finally turned up, I said, “Aah, your Royal Highness. You alright boss?”
‘I quickly realised that I hadn’t left enough time between “Your Royal Highness” and “you alright boss”, and that his private secretary, or whatever he was thought, thought I was the scum of the earth.’
After his initial royal faux pas, James praised the three royals writing that they are ‘great advocates for sport’ adding that the Princess Royal was ‘brilliant’.
‘I think the podcast humanised them a little bit, and I kind of wish they’d let us put the uncut version out, because it would have blown the public away.
‘They came across as down-to-earth, fully engaged and knowledgeable,’ he said.
James candidly added that he thought ‘they’d be dull’.
During the discussion at Windsor Castle, William revealed the ‘only time he’s ever cried when watching a sport’ was when his cousin Zara Tindall triumphed in eventing.
Tindall cracked a few jokes with co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne as they held their podcast in the green drawing room of Windsor Castle
During the episode Princess Anne recalled the early days of her daughter’s equestrian career, in which she won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics
He said: ‘The only time I’ve ever cried when watching sport was when Zara won I think it was the European championship.
‘I was down in Exmoor at the time camping. We were all huddling around the phone watching it. She was there she was blubbing away the flag was going up. I was in pieces.’
Kate added: ‘I can remember because you came back and said I’ve never been so proud of anyone.’
William also discussed the important lesson he hopes his children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, will learn while playing team sports.
Talking about the skills you gain from ‘those early years of playing team sport’, he said: ‘Learning to lose, which I think we’ve got to concentrate more on nowadays.
‘I think people don’t know how to lose well. Talking about our children particularly, I want to make sure they understand that.’
It was then the turn of Kate to explain why she loved team sports, with Mike joking: ‘I’m not going to say you’re really competitive… [but] I’ve seen her play beer pong.’
An animated Kate replied: ‘I’m not competitive at all,’ before explaining that her parents had always encouraged her to get involved in sports.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, also seemed to see the fun side as she attended the recording of a special episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast
Mike Tindall with his now-wife Zara Tindall during a meeting with the Queen and Prince Philip in 2006. Mike, as a member of the Royal Family, lifted the curtain on the late Queen’s informal behaviour
She went on to say that her and William never manage to finish a game of tennis, giggling as she added it becomes a ‘mental challenge between the two of us’.
Princess Anne recalled the early days of her daughter’s equestrian career, in which she won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Recalling what would happen if she tried to offer her advice, keen horse rider Anne said: ‘If I made a comment I was usually told I was a dinosaur.’
Elsewhere Mike, as a member of the Royal Family, lifted the curtain on the late Queen’s informal behaviour.
Mike said: ‘Zara and I would often watch the racing with her [the Queen] on TV.
‘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.’
During trips to Balmoral, the Queen is known to have enjoyed mundane household chores.
According to writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, Queen Elizabeth II especially loved nothing more than donning a pair of yellow marigolds and washing the dirty dishes.
In his biography ‘Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait’, Gyles revealed the humorous story of the time David Cameron tried to help the Queen with her favourite task during a stay at Balmoral.
The former Prime Minister told Gyles: ‘I’m not making this up, you sat down and Prince Philip and Her Majesty The Queen served your dinner and cleared it away and washed it up while you sat talking with the other guests.
‘I remember thinking it was sort of year five, I thought: “Well, I now surely can help” and got up and got on the Marigolds and started doing the washing-up.
‘And I remember Her Majesty saying: “What on earth is the Prime Minister doing?” I’d broken with the protocol and rapidly sat back down and did what I was told.’
In another instance, a former royal courtier told author Harry Mount about the time Elizabeth helped tidy up after a shooting lunch.
The source said: ‘I was once at a shooting lunch. At the end of lunch, I heard someone say, “I’ll do the washing-up”.
‘I turned around and there was the Queen in her yellow washing-up gloves.’
According to former royal butler Paul Burrell, Elizabeth II started washing up once in front of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after a picnic.
The late Queen with a young King Charles and Princess Anne. Gyles Brandreth claims that Elizabeth’s love of washing up started at a young age
As a staunch monarchist, Thatcher was adamant that the monarch should not be cleaning kitchenware. But Paul claims a compromise was found when Elizabeth told Thatcher: “Well I’ll wash, will you dry?”‘
Gyles claims that Elizabeth’s love of washing up started at a young age.
‘Of course those of you who have read the wartime diaries of the Queen’s childhood friend, Alathea Fitzalan-Howard, will know that Lilibet was always good at domestic chores.
‘In March 1941, when they were having cookery lessons at Windsor, Alathea noted: “Lillibet actually likes washing up and does more of it than the rest of us put together”.’
