One royal family member just joked that they'd "like to throw a few punches" at Prince Harry

Yikes.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Yikes.

It's been a tumultuous couple of years for the Royal Family.

From Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step away from their roles as senior working royals, and the subsequent tell-all Oprah interview that prompted thousands of Ofcom complaints, to Prince Andrew's disastrous BBC Newsnight appearance and ongoing legal troubles, widespread rumours of family in-fighting and a royal rift don't look to be lifting any time soon. 

Following Harry and Meghan's explosive Oprah interview, Harry has returned to the UK just twice: once in April for the funeral of his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, and once in July for the unveiling of a statue paying tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana.

And though they say that time heals all wounds, it seems that the royals haven't quite managed to forgive Prince Harry for his controversial comments on the monarchy just yet.

In fact, Mike Tindall, who has been married to Harry's cousin Zara since 2011, just quipped that the royals would like to throw a few punches at Harry in the wake of recent events. Yep, really.

Speaking at A Question of Sport Live on Monday in the London Palladium, Tindall made light of the fact that the Royal Family's relationship with Harry is strained.

In conversation with former teammate Matt Dawson, with whom he won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, the ruby player recalled celebrating the victory with Harry at a bar in Sydney, the MailOnline reports.

The rugby player recounted how he and fellow player Iain Balshaw thought it would be funny to throw a few punches at the prince to see how long it would take before his protection officers intervened, quipping: "At Balmoral, the family are now having the same conversation. Except the Queen has taken his security away."

Oh dear.

Not all is lost though, as it was reported earlier this week that Her Majesty is set to bestow a special honour on Harry and Meghan in honour of her Platinum Jubilee next year.

The monarch has some pretty epic plans in store for next year's landmark celebration, which will see her mark 70 years on the throne. (Think a four-night party with a star-studded guest list, and, perhaps more excitingly, an extra public Bank Holiday.)

Here's hoping we get to see Harry and Meghan stopping by for the celebrations!

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.