Prince William Has Found a ‘Replacement’ Brother in Another Royal Amid His Feud With Harry

Prince William's relationship with Prince Harry remains frayed, given the many damaging remarks made by the latter against the royal family. However, the Prince of Wales reportedly isn't sulking, instead finding a stand-in for his brother in his cousin’s husband. Royal experts believe Zara Tindall’s husband, Mike Tindall, has become William’s ‘replacement brother’ thanks to his cheeky sense of humor and unwavering support.

Tindall, a former rugby star, has reportedly developed quite the ‘bromance’ with the Prince of Wales after Harry’s royal exit. Commenting on their bond, royal expert Tom Quinn told the Daily Express, “I’ve spoken to a couple of people who know William well, and he really does get on very well with Mike Tindall. But then, everyone in the royal family likes Mike.” The expert also alleged that Harry has an issue with William and Mike’s growing bond, saying, “So yes, he is close to William - he has none of the emotional baggage and difficulties that William has with Harry. I think Harry has been aware of this for some time, and it does upset him.”

Royal author Ingrid Seward also opined that the Prince of Wales lives it up through Mike. She told the Telegraph, “Mike gets funnier under the influence of alcohol and can be totally outrageous. William can’t do this anymore as he’s too aware of his responsibilities. But he can live vicariously through Mike.” Even former Palace secretary Dickie Arbiter, spilled on their close bond, agreeing, “Mike is a pretty straight guy. He’s down to earth, and William is too. They are two peas from the same pod. They’ve just had different upbringings.”

Mike allegedly also loves pulling William's legs at public events. He revealed on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, that he had a rather cheeky nickname for William. As per Royal Insider, Tindall said, “The Prince of Wales is known to me as One Pint Willy because he’s not the best of drinkers. Oh my God. It’s out there now. Sorry, Sir.” Mike has also thrown a subtle jibe at Harry in his book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby — Unleashed. He penned, “Believe it or not, marrying into the royal family was pretty easy for me. They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them.” His comments in the book came shortly after Meghan Markle and Harry alleged that the family was always cold to them.

Mike’s cheeky and humble nature has made him a favorite within the monarchy. His rare appearance on the famous reality show, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! further cemented his likable reputation. Mike told Vanity Fair that, along with King Charles, he also had asked William’s permission before appearing on the show. He said, “I spoke to the Prince of Wales about it and he said, ‘Great, go have fun.’” He added that he wasn’t warned about mentioning the royals on the show, but he did purposefully try to keep ‘conversations short’ when they came up.