I’m A Celebrity bosses sign up first ever Royal Family member for new series
MIKE Tindall has agreed to be the first royal on prime time reality TV, The Sun can reveal.
The former England rugby ace will join next month’s I’m A Celebrity in the bug-infested Australian jungle.
Mike Tindall, 43, is married to the late Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips is the ITV show’s biggest signing.
He will appear alongside stars including Boy George, comic Seann Walsh and DJ Chris Moyles.
Details of Mike’s deal remain a closely-guarded secret, but a source told The Sun: “It’s a massive coup. Mike has had a box seat for some of the most important moments in royal history for generations.
“He is sure to be discreet, but his sheer presence means this series will be an absolute must-watch.”
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Mike, who lifted the 2003 World Cup with England, wed Zara in 2011.
The couple have three children — Mia, eight, Lena, four, and Lucas, one.
Mike has since become a key member of the royal inner-circle.
He was pictured playfully signalling he was keeping his eye on four-year-old Prince Louis at Jubilee celebrations and accompanied Zara, 41, to the Queen’s funeral last month.
Mike told his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, he had been “blown away” by the national outpouring of grief.
And he added: “Zara loved the Queen beyond everything. Their connection with horses — the same with the Princess Royal — they had a real bond around that.”
Non-working royals Mike and Zara make their own way financially, though they do live at Gatcombe, the Cotswolds estate of Zara’s mum Princess Anne.
The last major family TV show featuring the royals was the ill-fated It’s A Royal Knockout charity edition in 1987.
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Anne, Andrew and Edward wore fancy dress as team captains in a stunt dreamed up by Edward. But the Queen and Prince Philip were reportedly left “dismayed”.
Last night an I’m A Celeb spokesman said: “We’ll announce our line-up nearer transmission.”