Princess Kate and Prince William's Uncut Podcast Interview "Would Have Blown the Public Away"

Mike Tindall teases the juicy details that were cut from his chat with the royals.

Kate Middleton wears a dark red coat and matching hat and Prince William wears a navy suit and matching blue tie
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Mike Tindall has opened up about Prince William and Princess Kate's appearance on his podcast, "The Good, the Bad & the Rugby," in September 2023. And according to the former rugby player, royal fans would be shocked if they'd heard the interview in its entirety.

Tindall, who is married to Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, has written a new book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby—Unleashed, with fellow rugby players and co-hosts Alex Payne and James Haskell. In the book, Mike looks back on recording a special episode of the podcast with Princess Anne, Kate Middleton, and Prince William, in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle on September 6, 2023.

In an excerpt from the book published by the Daily Mail, Mike wrote of the Prince and Princess of Wales' appearance, "They came across as down-to-earth, fully engaged, funny and knowledgeable." He continued, "It was a far more enlightening chat than I expected, not because I thought they’d be dull (I already knew that they weren’t) but because I know how everything to do with the royal family is so carefully controlled."

Prince William and Kate Middleton laugh while recording an episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle on September 6, 2023

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Kensington Palace)

However, listeners didn't get to hear everything Kate and William recorded for the show, which Mike regrets. "I think the podcast humanized 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," he explained.

While listeners missed out on the uncut version of the episode, they were given insights into Prince William and Princess Kate's home life. During the episode, Prince William discussed the important life lessons he wanted to instill in his three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

"Learning to lose, which I think we've got to concentrate more on nowadays," the Prince of Wales explained, via the Mirror. "I think people don't know how to lose well. Talking about our children particularly, I want to make sure they understand that."

He continued, "I think it's really important from a young age to understand how to lose, and why we lose, and to grow from it and what you learn from that process." William explained, "But also, to win well, and not boast. There's so many life lessons that help us all through life, in friendship building, in relationship building, workplace, that you gain from those early years of playing team sport."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.