Mike Tindall: Royals were told to leave as soon as Prince Philip's funeral was over

Mike Tindall has revealed that the royals had to leave Windsor Castle as soon as the funeral of Prince Philip was over, as they sought to follow Covid guidelines.

Prince Philip died on 9 April and the Queen was careful to follow coronavirus regulations at his funeral on 17 April, meaning there were only 30 mourners present.

Despite there being some guidelines to allow for a wake, her grandson-in-law, former rugby player Tindall, confirmed on Friday that they all left promptly.

He's previously praised the Queen for how she led by example during the funeral, saying his love for her had grown on that day.

WINDSOR, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall arrive for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's funeral at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 in Windsor, United Kingdom. Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born 10 June 1921, in Greece. He served in the British Royal Navy and fought in WWII. He married the then Princess Elizabeth on 20 November 1947 and was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich by King VI. He served as Prince Consort to Queen Elizabeth II until his death on April 9 2021, months short of his 100th birthday. His funeral takes place today at Windsor Castle with only 30 guests invited due to Coronavirus pandemic restrictions. (Photo by Mark Large-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Mike and Zara Tindall were two of the 30 mourners at the smaller funeral on 17 April. (Mark Large-WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool via Getty Images)

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Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Friday, he said: "I think that's what she does, she leads by example... you say 'amazing to see' but I didn't really want to see it.

"Everyone has seen it now.

"Even after the funeral it was sort of 'you all need to leave', and so you didn't even get to have that supportive side afterwards.

"The way that the funeral was planned and run was exceptional... for Zara it was seeing his carriage, ponies, and the gloves, and the sugar cube box and all that lined up."

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Tindall is married to Zara, one of the Queen's granddaughters, and so was one of the smaller number of mourners at the service at St George's Chapel.

He previously described it as "eerie" but said that the smaller service is probably what the Duke of Edinburgh would have wanted.

Speaking on his podcast last week he said: "The way everything was I think it was the perfect day... how he would have liked it.

"No fuss, get on with it, and my love for the Queen was even better."

Earlier this month Tindall experienced his first royal engagement as he chatted to the wife of the Queen's cousin, the Duchess of Gloucester, about Parkinson's and his family's battle with the disease.

His father, Philip, was diagnosed with the disease in 2003 and he discussed how lockdown had been for his parents as his mother, Linda, is his primary carer.

The Tindalls don't carry out royal duties, and live on the Gatcombe estate, which is owned by Princess Anne, the Queen's only daughter.

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