James Haskell brands Harry and Meghan’s friend Omid Scobie a ‘very odd bloke’ and his fans ‘f****** nuts’ in new book written with Mike Tindall
James Haskell has branded Omid Scobie a ‘very odd bloke’ in a new book co-written with Mike Tindall.
Scobie, 43, is a friend of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and wrote their gushing biography Finding Freedom.
In The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed, which will be released on October 24, James wrote ‘royal fans can be mental’, adding that ‘we all know that American royal fans are f****** nuts, especially Scobieites’.
Mike Tindall, 45, a former England rugby player and husband to Zara Tindall, 43, the daughter of Princess Anne and niece of King Charles, also made disparaging remarks about Yahoo News UK’s former royal executive editor during an interview to publicise the book with the Telegraph.
James Haskell (pictured, right) described pro-Sussex writer Omid Scobie as a ‘very odd bloke’ in the new book he’s penned with Mike Tindall (pictured, left) and Alex Payne, his The Good, the Bad, & the Rugby podcast co-hosts. The book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed, comes out later this month
A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry denied they had any involvement in the book Finding Freedom, which was about them leaving the Royal Family, and was penned by Omid Scobie (pictured) and Carlyn Durand
Scobie previously criticised Mike for ‘cashing in’ on his royal connections by appearing on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.
Speaking to the Telegraph about the new book – and Sobie’s comments – he said: ‘I don’t even have access to my Twitter. I just [get] tagged in by anyone who’s talking about anything. It’s so random, what I have to sift through.’
He added: ‘If there’s any story about me or my kids, it will get entangled into a web of something else, and I’m tagged into reading all this crap. That’s the world we live in. Some have got nothing better to do than bag people.’
Mike and wife Zara are believed to have had a falling out with Harry and Meghan after the latter couple left the Royal Family, and then publicly criticised them.
Elsewhere in the book, Mike described joining the Royal Family in 2011, after marrying Zara.
He wrote: wrote ‘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. Simple really.’
Mike and wife Zara are believed to have had a falling out with Harry and Meghan after the latter couple left the Royal Family, and then publicly criticised them. The two couples were photographed together appearing to look tense after the National Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on June 3, 2022
Though Zara and her husband Mike are not officially working royals, they still seem to be working their way towards Charles’s inner circle
His experience appeared to be in sharp contrast to how Meghan Markle described her time in The Firm, eventually stepping down from all royal duties after less than two years of being married to Harry.
In contrast to Mike, Meghan’s transition into royal life was marred by tense relations with the family, which eventually resulted in the couple stepping down and moving to California.
The American, who played a role in cable TV show Suits before joining the Royal Family, reportedly had a ‘tense’ and troubled relationship with her sister-in-law, Kate, the Princess of Wales, with the pair reportedly clashing over Meghan’s choice of flower girls’ dresses at her wedding in 2018.
In comparison, Mike is seen to have nurtured his relationships with his in-laws, and is said to be very close to William, Kate and their three children – particularly their eldest son, George, 11, with whom Mike says he’s played football in the garden ‘numerous times’.
In contrast to Mike saying it was easy to get on with the Royal Family, Meghan’s transition into royal life was marred by tense relations with the other members of The Firm, leading to her and Harry stepping down from their royal duties and moving to California
Mike Tindall (pictured, left) is thought to be particularly close to Prince George (pictured, right). Here they are seen after the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on December 25, 2023
The rugby ace’s bond with the youngster was clear to see during December’s Christmas day service, when he was snapped affectionately ruffling his hair.
Prince William is known to enjoy a ‘bromance’ with Tindall – so it comes as no surprise that Mike is also close to his eldest son.
Speaking to The Times earlier this year, one royal source dubbed Mike, 45, and Zara, 43, the ‘glue of their generation of royals, no matter how serious the occasion’.
‘They can help take the family’s mind off the gravity of what is going on,’ they added.
‘While some family members can be very ‘royal’, Mike is just himself and is relaxed and playful with George, Charlotte and Louis.
‘It helps that they all have children around the same age that they can fool around together privately and bring a sense of normality to what is a stressful situation for everyone involved.’
Mike, James, and Alex – a former Sky TV host – interviewed William, Kate and Princess Anne for their podcast – The Good, The Bad and The Rugby – last year.
There, the Prince of Wales revealed that Zara’s victory in equestrian eventing was the only occasion he’d been moved to tears while watching sports. During the discussion at Windsor Castle, the father-of-three said: ‘The only time I’ve ever cried when watching sport was when Zara won I think it was the European championship.’
Princess Anne – William’s aunt and Zara’s mother – is also an accomplished equestrian and seemingly all round sports fan, according to James Haskell, who writing about the interview in the book, said: ‘Princess Anne knew more about sport than almost anyone I’ve ever met.’
William, along with his brother Harry, were raised in Gloucestershire, just a few miles from where Zara and her brother Peter Phillips grew up. The four royal cousins were often spotted chatting and joking at royal events.
Mike Tindall and William may seem like an unlikely pairing, but the pair are often snapped sharing a joke at royal events – and can’t resist a hug when they see each other in public.
William, heir to the throne, was educated at Eton before completing his degree at St Andrews. He prefers football to rugby, which was more his brother Harry’s sport.
Mike attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, in Wakefield becoming a professional rugby player for Bath at the age of 18.
The pair are both hands-on fathers and enjoy catching up at the polo or the races, where they often give each other warm greetings. They have been photographed looking pally at several public engagements, with the ex-England rugby player going along to support the royal at polo matches in the past.
It’s clear the pair are on such good terms that Mike felt comfortable enough to poke fun at the future King in a recent podcast, saying he calls the heir to the throne ‘One Pint Willy’ because ‘he is not the best of drinkers’.
Both have also been with their wives for almost 20 years – Tindall was 25 when he and Zara were introduced at the 2003 World Cup. William and Kate met at university.
