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Mike Tindall got himself in trouble with wife Zara after revealing Prince William’s hilarious nickname. Former England rugby star Mike is close to William, often mixing socially with the Prince of Wales. It’s fair to say Mike would last longer in a drinking session. Boozing clearly isn’t the heir to the throne’s strong suit, with Mike once dubbing him ‘One Pint Willy.’ He made the revelation during a joint appearance with Zara on the late Rob Burrow’s podcast in December 2023. He said: “The Prince of Wales is known to me as One Pint Willy because he's not the best of drinkers. It's out there now, sorry, sir.” Mike added he came from a sport “built on the social aspect with a couple of beers being sunk quite often.” Clearly aware of the prince’s moniker, Zara reacted with mock horror, saying: “You’re in so much trouble!” The Prince subsequently made light of his nickname, underlining how close the pair are. Burrow’s ‘Seven’ podcast saw the rugby league legend, who died last year following a brave battle with motor neurone disease (MND), and his wife, Lindsey, put seven questions to seven sports stars. Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association patron Burrow, who used AI technology and recordings of his voice to communicate, was aided by the charity with eye-gaze technology to make the series. During the episode, Mike admitted he regretted not urging his father to make lifestyle changes after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2003. The England World Cup winner said: "He probably had the symptoms for a year or two before that but, being a typical bloke from up north, decided to ignore most of them for as long as he possibly could. “I look back now with the disappointment that I didn't take more time to do more stuff then because I would have made him make changes. “I wish I could have told my dad to exercise more, to change his diet and live a bit healthier and this could have led him down a different path. He’s 20 years in now. He's never going to get better obviously. He's only slowly getting worse.” Mike remains heavily involved in the game via his media work, which his includes his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. He has also been the driving force behind the controversial R360 concept that he hopes to launch next year. The rebel league is slated to involve 12 franchised teams – eight men’s and four women's – participating in a global grand prix-style competition, with matches scheduled to take place in cities such as London, Miami, Tokyo and Lisbon. The plan suffered a significant blow earlier this month when most of the leading rugby-playing nations issued a joint statement to confirm they would bar any players who sign up from playing in internationals.
