Mike Tindall admits he ‘hates’ wearing medals in response to Queen’s funeral confusion

Mike Tindall has admitted that he “hates” wearing medals on his clothing, following confusion about how he earned them.

The 43-year-old was seen wearing three medals at Westminster Hall as the Queen’s coffin was brought from Buckingham Palace to lie in state for four days.

People later began to question whether Mike had served in the military, but the English former rugby player has cleared up the confusion.

Mike, who is married to the Princess Royal’s daughter Zara Tindall, addressed the comments on the latest episode of his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, which he hosts with James Haskell and Alex Payne.

Speaking on the podcast, Mike Tindall said: “It has been an interesting one. We’ve had this discussion on the fact that I hate wearing them anyway.

“I think you would be the same because you class medals as a military honour. Any serviceman, I am deeply appreciative of your service, and I have not served anywhere and actually haven’t done anything to achieve those medals apart from being in the family.”

Although he has not served in the military, Mike obtained medals when he was made a Member of the British Empire in 2007 and for the Queen’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilees.

Explaining his medals, he continued: “So the jubilee medals, obviously I got married in 2011, so 2012 was the diamond jubilee, and you get a medal if you’re part of the family.

“The people who work in her household get a medal, and if you’ve been serving in the armed forces for five years and you’re actively in service, you get one too.

“So it’s harder for people in the military to actually get a jubilee medal unless they served for a long time.

“There’s been a lot more as you get a lot more celebrations later in life, so 50, 60, 70, that’s where I got one, and the other one was my MBE.”

Mike made 75 appearances for England between 2000 and 2011 and is a celebrity ambassador for a number of sporting organisations such as Rugby for Heroes.

The outside centre player made his debut against Ireland in the 2000 Six Nations Championship and also represented Bath and Gloucester.

He married into the Royal Family in 2011, when he wed British equestrian and Olympian, Zara Phillips.

Buckingham Palace announced the engagement between the rugby player and the “love of his life” in December 2010.