Mike Tindall faces backlash for wearing 'Make England Great Again' hat: 'Not a good look'

By Fiona Thomas

Mike Tindall has come under fire for wearing a Donald Trump-inspired "Make England Great Again" baseball cap.

Tindall, the son-in-law of the Princess Royal, sported the red cap with the slogan – synonymous with Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement – during a recording of The Good, Bad and The Rugby podcast.

In it, he criticises Steve Borthwick's team for their record Six Nations defeat by Ireland.

Tindall's choice of cap was intended as a tongue-in-cheek gesture given England's Six Nations title hopes blew up in smoke after successive defeats by Scotland and Ireland.

But it prompted a backlash on social media, with many questioning how it would reflect on the Royal family.

Narinder Kaur, the broadcaster and political commentator, was among those to take aim at Tindall for aligning himself with Trump's MAGA movement, which has become a lightning rod for social and cultural division across America.

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"Princess Anne's son-in-law, Mike Tindall, wearing a 'Make England Great Again' cap. People excusing this as 'rugby' connected," the British TV personality posted on X.

"I did NOT look at that and think 'rugby', I thought Maga. This isn't a good look coming from the Royal family – pretty low."

Another social media user said the 47-year-old Tindall's apparent association with Trump's MAGA slogan "isn't going to help the Royal family".

Tindall, who was an England centre when they won the World Cup in 2003, married the Princess Royal's daughter, Zara, in 2011.

He also irritated Irish fans after claiming Andy Farrell's side were "given" their 42-21 win at the Allianz Stadium last week.

"They did not have to do anything to win that game," Tindall said.

"It was all given to them by England. England had enough position; they had more metres gained, more defenders beaten, more carries, more dominant carries, more yards after the tackle.

"They had more territory and possession. Ireland only created opportunities to get into England's 22 like five times and they were through line breaks of ridiculous missed tackles of individual error that haven't showed up since the autumn of 2024."

"I don't know whether that performance provides any insight into where Ireland are.

"You still have the older players who are playing. [Jamison] Gibson-Park looked outstanding, but was allowed to look outstanding."

"They didn't have to try to get field position in the right area, England gave it to them. I'm not taking anything away from Ireland, because you still have to go out and beat the team in front of you."

Tindall's cap choice and assessment of the game are unlikely to enhance his reputation, given he has already courted controversy for being a driving force behind the sport's R360 breakaway league.

The Rugby Football Union, along with other major unions, banned men's and women's players from signing contracts with the rebel league, which suffered a major setback when it was forced to defer its application for official sanction from World Rugby to June this year.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2026

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