Mike Tindall’s attempt at a joke could be his undoing as investigations continue on I’m a Celebrity to a possible covid breach

What’s a man to do? You want to lighten the mood and create camaraderie, show that you’re a down-to-earth sort of chap. This ability to relate is important to display as you’re married to Zara Phillips, a granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Hold on there, though. There is still a small matter of a lingering pandemic. The NHS is still administering Covid booster vaccines to the British public. Minimising transmission of the illness on a prime time TV show is important for ensuring everyone is safe, and, maybe even more importantly for show bosses, optics for good PR.

Imagine the dilemma of producers on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! They’ve already lost Olivia Attwood to a medical emergency, a woman who would have been TV gold. Now they have Mike Tindall (44), England rugby legend and husband of equestrian Zara Phillips (41), who was captured in images ‘playfully’ tackling an assistant producer on the show. He lifted the producer, who was wearing a face mask because crew and celebrity cast members must remain two metres away at all times, and pretended to throw her off a pontoon just days before he entered the jungle.

This incident compromises covid rule protocols, a matter that is now being investigated and could result in Mike being told to leave the jungle. What is also compromising, from a royal point of view, is Mike’s presence on the reality TV show in the first place.

Sources have said William and Kate are unlikely to be thrilled that Mike has chosen to appear on I’m a Celebrity. There were reports that King Charles had not been consulted on the appearance of Mike on the show. There are practical economics at play. Mike and Zara don’t earn money from the public as they are working royals, meaning they need to find finance from somewhere.

It’s highly unlikely he will leave the camp. When there’s wriggle room and huge money at play, it’ll probably be excused into the mists of bushtucker trials. ITV have said: “We have detailed risk assessments in place throughout filming and are satisfied that no protocols have been broken.”

Mike has a history of allowing his energetic spirit to bubble over, see taking part in a ‘dwarf-throwing contest’ in New Zealand that saw him fined £25,000 for ‘serious misconduct’. He also likes to charm the ladies, see having his arm around former girlfriend Jessica Palmer on the same evening as his misconduct behaviour. Can he tow the line in an intense reality TV setting? Or, will the royals have more embarrassing scenes to add to their family album of ‘things our family should not have done’?