The year 2003 was one of the best – and worst – of Mike Tindall’s life. Best because he played for the England rugby side that won the World Cup, and while he was at the tournament met Zara Phillips, the royal who would become his wife.
But at the rugby competition in Australia, he also received terrible news. His parents, Phil and Linda, had travelled from the UK to support their son and the England team when they told him over coffee that doctors had diagnosed Phil with Parkinson’s disease.
Mike’s beloved dad lost his long battle with the illness last month, with Mike making a brief but heartfelt announcement on his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. He became emotional as he thanked the Yorkshire rugby side his dad had once played for, noting how Otley Rugby Club had observed a minute’s silence for Phil, 80, during a match. Mike’s co-hosts said they were sending “a massive hug to you and Team Tindall”.
A devastating diagnosis
A couple of days later Mike, 47, and Zara, 45, put on brave faces to attend the Laver Cup tennis tournament, where they chatted with Swiss sporting legend Roger Federer, 45. But behind the smiles, Phil would not have been far from their thoughts.
Mike recently described the profound effect Parkinson’s had on his father, saying after living with it for 23 years, it had “quite honestly left him a shell of what he once was”. He described Parkinson’s as “brutal”. Phil, who worked for a bank, had experienced symptoms for two years before his diagnosis in 2003.
Being “a typical northern bloke”, it took him ages to see someone about issues, like struggling with handwriting, Mike revealed in an interview a few years ago. He knew nothing of his dad’s difficulties until that day in Australia and admits that for some years afterwards, he was “fairly blasé” because Phil didn’t seem as bad as famous people with the illness, like boxer Muhammad Ali.He would later wish he’d done more.
“I feel that if I’d taken more notice then, I could have made him get on top of staying physically fit. I wish I’d paid more interest in what was going on with Parkinson’s and done a little more research back then.”
The family feeling the impact
By the time Mike and Zara married in 2011, Phil’s health had deteriorated, and he spent their wedding “in and out of a wheelchair”. Back problems made him immobile and led to the loss of muscle mass, which then made other symptoms worse. Mike was instrumental in encouraging his dad to stay active, for example, challenging him to play table tennis.
He also supported his mum, former social worker Linda, saying, “It’s been pretty hard on her.”
One of the saddest things was seeing how Phil went from playing with his and Zara’s eldest daughter Mia, now 12, when she was small, to being reluctant to be hands-on with Lena, eight. Mike says he could see his dad was scared he’d “topple over or drop her”.
Helping to fund research towards finding a cure for Parkinson’s became a cause close to Mike’s heart, and he has been the patron of the charity Cure Parkinson’s since 2018. He’s raised millions for the organisation by taking on gruelling challenges, including a 137km bike ride, and hosting an annual celebrity golf tournament.
Zara has given Mike her full support. This year, Mike posted a shot of them before the tournament, calling his wife a “legend” for letting him play golf on her birthday.
Mia saddles up!
Shortly before the Tindall family’s loss became public, Mia showed how she’s following in the footsteps – or should that be stirrups? – of her mother and grandmother as the third generation to compete in equestrian events. The 12-year-old took part in the team showjumping event on her pony Bunny Two Tails. Zara proudly watched her eldest child make her debut, then went on to place in the dressage and cross-country events on her horse Classicals Euro Star.
Zara’s mother, Princess Anne, 76, was the first royal to represent Britain – in three-day eventing – at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Mia made her showjumping debut, riding for her local pony club at the prestigious Blenheim Horse Trials.
Zara took home a silver medal – handed over by her mum – in eventing at the 2012 London Olympics.
