Mike Tindall, 47, a former England rugby international who is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara, said his father, Phil Tindall, died last week at the age of 80. He told podcast listeners on Wednesday, September 23, 2026: “Unfortunately, my dad passed away last week.”
Mike Tindall made the announcement on his podcast “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.” His co-hosts on the episode, James Haskell and Alex Payne, sat with him as he spoke. Payne offered condolences on air on behalf of the hosts and the show’s audience.
More Than 20 Years With Parkinson’s
Phil Tindall had lived with Parkinson’s disease for more than 20 years. His diagnosis came in 2003, the same year his son was part of the England squad that won the Rugby World Cup in Australia. News of the diagnosis reached Mike Tindall on the way to Sydney.
Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disorder that brings shaking, balance problems and movement difficulties. In Phil Tindall’s case it also affected his spine and discs, and he needed a wheelchair at times. Mike Tindall has said he didn’t fully register the illness’ impact until several years after the diagnosis.
His mother, Linda, a former social worker, took on much of his father’s care. In 2021 he praised her as “a very stoic, northern lady” who refused to give up on him.
Speaking to Hello! in May, Mike Tindall said: “Parkinson’s is brutal and there is no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people.” He added that more than 23 years of the disease had left his father “a shell of what he once was.”
A Fixture at Otley
Phil Tindall was a fixture at Otley Rugby Club in West Yorkshire, the town where his son grew up. He debuted for Otley’s senior side at 17 during the 1963-64 season, played fly-half and center, and captained the club through the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Away from the pitch he worked as a banker.
His playing days ended at 27, cut short by a badly timed injury. Mike Tindall recalled on the podcast that his father “got married in ’69, broke his leg the week before, went down the aisle in a cast.” He added: “I mean, it sort of all went wrong. He had to retire at 27.”
Otley marked Phil Tindall’s death with a minute’s silence before its match against Chester last weekend, and the club printed a dedication to him in the match-day program. “That little moment, I got to watch it,” Mike Tindall said. “Someone recorded it, sent it to me, and then they wrote a little thing in the programme as well, which I read. But thank you very much to Otley Rugby Club for it.”
Patron of Cure Parkinson’s
Mike Tindall has been a patron of Cure Parkinson’s since 2018. He raises funds through an annual Celebrity Golf Classic and through cycling and walking challenges. His wife joined him at this year’s golf event in May, which fell on her birthday.
He has said watching his father’s quality of life decline is why he doesn’t want other families to go through the same thing. He has also said that with today’s greater awareness of warning signs, he’d have pushed his father harder on exercise had he understood the condition sooner.
Family Ties to the Crown
Mike Tindall won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011 and has since built a career in broadcasting. He has been married 15 years to Zara Tindall, 45, a successful equestrian and King Charles’ niece. The couple married in July 2011.
Their three children — Mia, 12; Lena, seven; and Lucas, five — are untitled, because Princess Anne declined a title for Zara Tindall. Days before news of his father’s death, Mia competed at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials on September 19 alongside her mother.
