Prince William and Kate Middleton left “very upset” with Mike Tindall’s decision to join I’m A Celeb

The former rugby player did not seek permission from King Charles before heading to the famed jungle

Mike Tindall, Prince William and Kate Middleton
(Image credit: ITV and Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images/Future)

Mike Tindall's decision to join the cast of 2022's I'm A Celebrity has left Kate Middleton and Prince William 'very upset' and 'sad', according to a royal expert

Kate Middleton and Prince William are reportedly less than thrilled with Mike Tindall joining this year's season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. 

Just incase you have you been on some sort of internet detox for the past month and haven't heart the news, Mike Tindall, the husband of Prince William's cousin Zara Tindall, who is Princess Anne's daughter, is currently down under, participating in the the skin-crawl-inducing reality show I'm A Celeb.

The former England rugby player reportedly joined the cast without seeking permission from head of The Firm, King Charles. This fact, on top of him appearing in the show at all, has left William and Kate “very upset" and "very sad," according to royal expert Angela Levin.

She told The Sun, "What's persuaded him? Is it because he's bored and wants to have some fun? Is it because he's desperate to earn more money?

"I think it brings the royal family into disrepute.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Ian Vogler-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

So far, Mike has not mentioned the royals on I'm a Celebrity and it is unlikely that he will. It has been reported that he knows he must be discreet when talking of The Firm and it's members, though he did open up about meeting Zara, saying they both enjoy "getting smashed."

Talking to his fellow campmates earlier this week, Mike revealed, “I was at the World Cup, she was out watching. I got dropped from the semi-final. I was pissed off and so I went for a beer with another guy who got dropped and a guy who was over. 

"They'd met her before and they introduced us and then got chatting. First actual date, just went out for lunch locally. And ended up being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start."

The I'm A Celeb cast 2022

(Image credit: ITV)

While Mike seems to be following the rules so far, the royal family are still hesitant at best, and terrified as worst, about his appearance on the popular ITV programme. A source previously spoke to The Telegraph, calling the act of Mike joining the show a “massive coup," before adding that, "he is sure to be discreet, but his sheer presence means this series will be an absolute must-watch.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that Mike "did not seek permission from Charles" before signing onto the series, and speculated that "Palace courtiers may find that pleas to reconsider fall on deaf ears" considering he's expected to £150,000 for his appearance in the jungle.

As reported in The Mirror, when asked if he’d sought permission from the royal family before joining the show, Mike said, “It’s not something I need to tell you though is it."

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Royal News and Entertainment writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.