Prince Philip's funeral: Royals told to leave afterwards due to Covid-19, Mike Tindall says

Heartbroken royals were told "you all need to leave" after Prince Philip's funeral, because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Mike Tindall, the former England rugby star married to the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips, told Good Morning Britain that there was no time to mourn together as all royals were told "to leave" right after the funeral.

Tindall also spoke of his sadness of seeing the Queen forced to sit alone during the funeral.

"After the funeral it was sort of, 'you all need to leave', so you didn't even get to have that supportive side afterwards," Tindall told the TV show.

"That's what the Queen does, she leads by example. Amazing to see, but I didn't really want to see it," he added.

Speaking to the BBC on a separate occasion, Tindall said the Queen was "brave" in the way she conducted herself during the funeral.

Mike Tindall leaving the funeral. Photo / Getty Images

"Loss is always going to be difficult. I thought the funeral was beautifully done," he said.

"But, at the same time, we had to see the Queen make a stand in terms of showing what the world was at the moment.

"To sit on her own and be as brave as she was, I thought just summed her up as a lady. She was amazing.

The Queen sat alone for the ceremony. Photo / Getty Images

"Then the funeral finished and it was sort of 'get in your cars and go home'.

"That's what was allowed and what the rules state. So is what happened. Yes, it was tough."

Queen Elizabeth II watches as pallbearers carry the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh. Photo / Getty Images

The Queen's grandson-in-law said Prince Philip would have been "more than happy" with the low-key celebration.

"If he was looking down, being in the middle of the pandemic when it was a bit more low-key, he would've been more happy with that even though the rest of us would've liked more of a celebration, but that's the sort of man that he was," he said.

Tindall's family heartbreak

The England Rugby World Cup winner has also spoken this week about the impact his father's Parkinson's diagnosis has had on him.

Tindall - who has children Mia, 7, Lena, 2, and 5-week-old Lucas, with wife Zara - has opened up about the struggles his mother Linda and his father Philip have faced amid the coronavirus pandemic because of his dad's battle with Parkinson's disease.

Speaking to the Duchess of Gloucester to mark World Parkinson's Month, Tindall - who is patron of Cure Parkinson's - said: "What they've really missed out of this year is my mum's missed companionship really of being able to go and see someone else because she doesn't feel now that she's comfortable leaving my dad alone."

The ex-sportsman told of how his father's condition has deteriorated over the past 10 years, particularly after enduring spinal surgery and colitis.

"It's our 10-year wedding anniversary and it was that year that... through his Parkinson's, his spine in his back is obviously curved, and then it caused problems with his discs and then he had to have a wheelchair at the wedding. He could walk some bits of it," he said.

"When you start adding [the other conditions] up, they've made a massive change over the last 10 years whereas before that, you know, it was a lot slower process.

"Then you throw in lockdown and literally they're both on the vulnerable list so they have not literally left the house in a year."

He admitted he has urged his mum to get some help in caring for her husband, but she "refuses to give her man up".