The Queen's grandson-in-law Mike Tindall says Prince Harry's bodyguards once pinned him to the ground after he jokingly punched the royal

• Mike Tindall said he once punched Prince Harry as an experiment to see his bodyguards' reactions.
• He said it took just a few seconds before he was pinned to the ground, the Daily Mail reported.
• Tindall is married to Harry's cousin Zara.

The Queen's grandson-in-law Mike Tindall said he once punched the Duke of Sussex to see how his bodyguards would react.

Tindall is a former professional rugby player who is married to Prince Harry's cousin Zara Tindall. He has appeared at various public and private royal-family events alongside Harry over the years.

Speaking at the event A Question of Sport Live in London on Tuesday, Tindall spoke about celebrating England's 2003 Rugby World Cup win in Sydney with Harry and his then-teammate Iain Balshaw, the Daily Mail's Richard Eden reported.

Paraphrasing Tindall's comments, the Daily Mail said Tindall and Balshaw "thought it would be amusing to throw a few punches" at Harry to see how long it would take his security team to react. Tindall said it took just a few seconds before Harry's protection officers pinned them to the ground, the publication added.

"At Balmoral, the family are now having the same conversation," Tindall said, seemingly as a joke. "Except the Queen has taken his security away."

Harry said during his interview with Oprah Winfrey in March that his and Markle's royal security had been withdrawn in 2020 because of their "change in status" from senior working royals to nonworking royals.

Tindall appears to have kept a close relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since their step back from royal life last year. In 2018, Tindall told the Mirror that he and his wife kept up to date with their royal cousins through their family WhatsApp group chat.

"I wouldn't say we're cutting edge, but it's just easier for some reason on WhatsApp," he said.

Representatives for Tindall and the Duke of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.