Prince Harry's Friend Compared the Royals to Any Other "Dysfunctional" Family

"Some aren’t as great as others."

Between Prince Harry and Prince William's beef, King Charles and Prince Andrew's real estate feud, and Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton's reportedly "tense" relationship, there's no shortage of royal drama to go around these days. So, it's not surprising to learn the monarchy is just like any other family.

James Haskell calls the royal family "dysfunctional."

In a new interview with The Times, former English rugby player James Haskell, friend of both Zara Tindall's husband, Mike, and Prince Harry, spoke about his first-hand experience with the royals, calling them a "dysfunctional" family.

"I’ve spent time with the royals. Some aren’t as great as others," said Haskell, who also hosts "The Good, The Bad & The Rugby" podcast with Mike and Alex Payne. "They do amazing work—but they’re also a modern family that’s very dysfunctional."

Haskell has seen things first hand, having been a guest at both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall's wedding. Nonetheless, the athlete admires the royals for all that they do.

"To those who want to get rid of the monarchy—once they’re gone, they’re gone," he continued. "There’s no way back from that, so remember that they serve an important role. I love what they do."

Haskell's "inappropriate" joke at Mike and Zara's Wedding.

In addition to hosting the podcast together, Haskell and Mike have a long-standing friendship that dates back to their days as teammates on England's rugby union team. Haskell even found himself in the middle of a scandal after making a joke at the Tindall nuptials. "I told a joke about when I was at Mike’s wedding: Prince Andrew was sweating up a storm on the dance floor, but then he realized that everyone was over 18 so he left," he recalled, referring to Prince Andrew's alleged involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and his controversial BBC interview, during which he infamously claimed it was "almost impossible" for him to sweat. The disgraced royal has denied any wrong doing.

"It was inappropriate, but it was funny," Haskell said about his jest.

All in all, though, Haskell remembers the night fondly. "Mike and Zara’s wedding was full of rugby players," he added. "It was the perfect combination of ceremony and romance, coupled with the fact that both of them like to enjoy themselves. Did I wake up the next morning on my bed still in my black tie thinking, 'Jesus, what did I do last night?' Potentially, yes."

'The Good, The Bad, & The Rugby' Podcast

The royal weddings aren't the only interaction the retired player has had with the family. Last year, he, Mike, and Payne had a special podcast episode with members of the monarchy, including Princess Anne, Prince William, and Kate Middleton. Mike later wrote about the meeting in a book written by Tindall, Haskell, and Payne, titled The Good, The Bad & The Rugby — Unleashed, saying the discussion "humanized" them.

Mike Tindall On Joining the Royal Family

"I think the podcast humanized them a little bit, and I kind of wish they’d let us put the uncut version out, because it would have blown the public away," he wrote in an excerpt obtained by The Daily Mail. "It was a far more enlightening chat than I expected, not because I thought they'd be dull (I already knew that they weren't), but because I know how everything to do with the royal family is so carefully controlled."

Elsewhere in the joint book, Tindall opened up about his introduction to the royal family. According to some reports (per Business Insider), Mike met Zara through Harry back in 2003 before eventually tying the knot in 2011. "Believe it or not, marrying into the royal family was pretty easy for me," he wrote. "They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple, really,"