Kate Middleton and Mike Tindall Share an Unexpected Sporting Connection ― and It’s Not Rugby
Kate Middleton is famously sporty, but an unrevealed athletic past links her directly to brother-in-law Mike Tindall.
Sports have been a significant part of the Royal Family’s fabric. Princess Anne is an Olympian, her daughter Zara Tindall is an Olympic medallist, and her husband Mike Tindall was a rugby player for England; the list is nothing short of illustrious. And although Kate Middleton may not be an elite athlete, she is certainly one of the sportiest royals currently. While she has tried her hand at various sporting events, she shares a special sports connection with her brother-in-law, Mike, that surprisingly does not have anything to do with rugby.
Interestingly, both Middleton and Tindall have competed in the high jump previously, and they were seemingly rather good at it, with the Princess of Wales reportedly even setting a primary school record. With her towering height and lean frame, she does appear to be a perfect candidate for the track and field event, and her performance speaks for itself. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, as per The Reader’s Digest, said: “She also set a high jump record of 1.5 meters in primary school that still stands today.”
In 2023, Tindall revealed his history with the high jump during a special episode of his popular podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, featuring Princess Anne, Prince William, and Middleton. During the conversation, the Princess Royal asked her son-in-law if he only ever played rugby, prompting him to say, “Well, I would say athletics was the only other thing that I was good at.” When asked by former England rugby player and podcast co-host James Haskell what event he did, Mike Tindall answered, “High Jump”. The response left both William and Middleton shocked. The latter was probably reminded of her primary school days, as she excitedly chimed in, “That’s my favorite!”
The shocking part, however, came when Tindall revealed he had jumped a height of 1.87 metres (approximately 6 feet, 2 inches). Middleton appreciated the performance, saying, “No, really, that’s actually really high.” Tindall grinned, “Yeah! I had a North of England trial. I forgot to go.” The former player later admitted that his athletic prowess had faded a bit with age, as he revealed he had attempted to do the high jump again during his daughter Mia’s sports day at school. “I tried to jump 1 metre 20 (around 3 feet, 9 inches), the other day when Mia was doing sports day,” he confessed to some jibes from his friends, before adding, “Yeah, it doesn’t quite work there.” As for the Princess of Wales, she has proven her merit on the sports field several times over the years. So far, she has tried her hand at soccer, volleyball, tennis, cricket, archery, curling, and the list is rather non-exhaustive.
During the podcast, Middleton said that she loved “cold swimming” and playing “tennis”, before revealing that she and William had recently gotten into “paddle”. The royal further mentioned that she loved trying different sports, even if it wasn’t something she had done before, simply because she found it “ really fun”.
