Queen Elizabeth’s tenth great-grandchild was born on Sunday – on the bathroom floor.
Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband, former England rugby player Mike, did not plan a home birth, but were unable to get to the hospital in time when the baby, a boy who is in 22nd position in the line to the throne, arrived with a minimum of pomp and circumstance.
The extraordinarily informal circumstances of the last royal birth were revealed by Mike Tindall on the sports podcast The good, the bad and the rugby.
Mike said that after watching rugby matches all weekend: “Sunday just got better because a little boy came to my house”.
While his co-hosts greeted him, Tindall said he was feeling “brilliant” after birth at 6pm on Sunday.
At the time the podcast was recorded, the couple had not chosen a name, with Tindall saying, “We always struggle with this, we never choose one before they arrive”.
However, a spokesman for the couple later said on Wednesday: “Zara and Mike Tindall are pleased to announce the birth of their third child, Lucas Philip Tindall.”
The baby’s second name is a tribute to Prince Philip, who will turn 100 in June. He will have no title, as Princess Anne’s children did not receive an “HRH” style at his request so that they could lead a more normal life.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news and are looking forward to meeting their tenth great-grandchild when circumstances permit.”
Asked if the baby was “cute”, Tindall said he weighed four and a half pounds and arrived “very quickly”.
“We were unable to get to the hospital. On the bathroom floor, ”he said.
Asked if he helped with the birth, Tindall revealed that a friend of Zara’s who was present at the birth of the couple’s previous children was present again.
“She was there and acknowledged that we would not have arrived at the hospital in time, so yes, it was running to the gym, getting a rug, going into the bathroom, putting the rug on the floor, towels lowered, orthopedic appliance, armband.”
Tindall added: “Fortunately, the midwife who was going to see us at the hospital was not that far away, so she came by car and got there when we had taken over. The second midwife arrived just after the head arrived! “
Mike said: “As every man would say, she was a warrior, they always are, we can never judge a woman in terms of what she went through in childbirth. She was back, we went for a walk this morning with him and everything is fine. “
Tindall said he cut the cord: “I was literally like, ‘Snip. Cut-cut. I have a boy, I’m out of here. ‘
Tindall added: “The best thing about being at home was, as soon as he was wrapped up, skin on skin, [we went] straight down, TV room, golf game, and I’m like, ‘This is what you and I are doing.’ “
He said he also watched an old 1996 rugby game with his newborn son.
“The training has already started, twelve hours later”, joked his co-presenter.