Mike Tindall Admits He 'Almost Curtsied' To King Charles Because He Was Copying Wife Zara

Mike Tindall almost made a blunder in front of King Charles III during his first meeting with him after he became the new monarch.

The 43-year-old former rugby player, who is married to Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, revealed on Tuesday's episode of his "The Good, The Bad & The Rugby" podcast that he almost curtsied to the King.

"You know when you're following a routine? So, I almost curtsied to the king the other day," Tindall shared. "Without thinking about it. I was just following behind my wife, saw her curtsy, sort of — and then, fortunately, didn't."

Tindall said he managed to "style out" his almost-bow but noted that his actions may have looked odd to onlookers.

"I might have looked like I stubbed my toe or something on the floor," he joked.

According to royal protocol, women usually perform curtsies, and men usually bow when greeting the monarch. The proper way to bow to a royal is a neck bow, inclining just one's head, according to Insider.

King Charles, 73, ascended the British throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at the age of 96 on Sept. 8.

Mike and Zara joined the members of the royal family and visiting dignitaries at the Queen's state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19. Their eldest daughter Mia, 8, later joined them for the Queen's committal service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England. Mike and Zara are also parents to Lena, 4, and Lucas, 1.

Mike's nephew Prince George, 9, and niece Princess Charlotte, 7, the eldest children of Prince William and Kate Middleton, were present at both ceremonies.

During the Tuesday podcast episode, the former pro athlete also talked about the Queen's passing, sharing that it was heartbreaking to witness his wife grieve after losing her grandmother.

"You never predict it, but you're never ready for when it does," he explained. "I'm not even a direct family member... but watching what my wife, what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, the same with the Princess Royal, they had a real sort of bond around that."

During the Queen's funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the Tindalls sat in the front row with King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Zara's brother Peter Phillips.

The seating arrangements sparked speculation among royal fans that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were snubbed as the couple was seated in a corner at the end of the second row.

However, an unnamed source at Buckingham Palace denied that the second-row seats were an intentional snub toward the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and clarified that the Queen's grandchildren were arranged in order of their age, except for Prince William, the heir to the throne.

"The order was approximately age order but trying not to split families up," the palace source told The Daily Beast.