MIKE TINDALL CONFIRMS FATHER PHIL'S DEATH AGED 79

Mike Tindall has confirmed that his father, Phil Tindall, died last week aged 79 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. The former England rugby player made the announcement on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. Phil was a former captain of Otley Rugby Club in West Yorkshire, having held the role in 1972 and 1973. Mike said Otley Rugby Club marked his father's death with a minute's silence during a match against Chester, and included a dedicated message in the match programme. He said he was sent a video of the tribute and was grateful to the club for the gesture.

Phil was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2003. Mike has previously described the condition as "brutal", saying there is "no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people". He said the disease had reduced his father to "a shell of what he once was" and that Phil required a wheelchair at times, as it had affected his spine. Mike also recalled his father's rugby career, noting he retired from the sport at 27, and that he broke his leg the week before marrying his wife, Linda, in 1969, going down the aisle in a cast.

Mike became a patron of the charity Cure Parkinson's in 2018. He won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011 and has been married to Zara Tindall, an equestrian and niece of King Charles, for 15 years. The couple have three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas, who stand 24th, 25th and 26th in line to the throne. Zara does not hold a royal title, as Princess Anne declined one for her, meaning her children also do not hold titles.