A former rugby star who played alongside Mike Tindall for England has opened up about his connections to the Royal Family, and even said he once cracked a joke about Prince Andrew

James Haskell, former rugby team-mate of Mike Tindall, has confessed to making an "inappropriate" joke about Prince Andrew "sweating". The 40 year old revealed his close ties to the Royal Family, specifically Princess Anne's son-in-law.

During a chat with The Times, Haskell admitted to cracking a joke at the wedding of Tindall and Zara Phillips. He said: "I told a joke about when I was at Mike's wedding: Prince Andrew was sweating up a storm on the dancefloor, but then he realised that everyone was over 18 so he left.

"It was inappropriate, but it was funny. Mike and Zara's wedding was full of rugby players. 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."

His jest referred to Andrew's links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the his claim during his infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis that he is physically unable to sweat. The scandal-plagued Royal has spent years vehemently denying any wrongdoing concerning his relationship with Epstein and the allegations made against him by Virginia Giuffre, who described him as sweaty when they were together.

Amid fresh allegations, Andrew gave up his Duke of York title on Friday. Reports now suggest that the Prince of Wales is unhappy with the outcome regarding Prince Andrew and plans to take a more severe stance towards his disgraced uncle, potentially barring him from his future coronation, reports Wales Online.

The heir to the throne, William, was involved in the decision that led to Andrew giving up his dukedom on Friday, but according to the Sunday Times, William "knows the 'Andrew problem' will be in his in-tray at some point".

The paper suggests that future king William will be "more ruthless" and is "not satisfied with the outcome".

READ MORE: Mike Tindall suffers huge blow amid controversial career move away from royals

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In other news, it has been reported that Andrew allegedly attempted to get the Metropolitan Police to unearth damaging information for a smear campaign against his sexual assault accuser.

The force confirmed it is investigating the allegations after the Mail on Sunday claimed Andrew provided Ms Giuffre's date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and requested him to investigate.

Andrew, who remains a prince and resides in the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion, released a statement in his own words on Friday, stating he was relinquishing his Duke of York title and honours to avoid distracting from the work of the monarch and the Royal family.

Ms Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, has called on the King to take further action and strip Andrew of his right to be a prince.

It has always been understood that William wanted to take decisive action regarding the long-standing controversy surrounding Andrew and his connections to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The newspaper reported that when William ascends to the throne, he will exclude Andrew from all aspects of Royal life - both public and private - including his coronation, and most state occasions.

The report also stated that William will exclude Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, from Royal events, but their daughters, his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will continue to be welcome at family and official gatherings.

Kensington Palace chose not to comment on the matter.

Andrew's relationship with his relatives was exposed during the Duchess of Kent's funeral in September, when he attempted to strike up a conversation with William.

William did not engage with his uncle's comments, standing beside him on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, staring straight ahead and barely acknowledging Andrew's presence.

The King has already decreed that Andrew will no longer join the Royal family for Christmas Day service - and Friday's statement is seen as the final banishment for the prince following years of scandal.

Charles had previously permitted his younger brother to attend his 2023 coronation, with Andrew arriving in his Order of the Garter robes.

A year prior, the then-Duke of York paid millions to accuser Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case, despite asserting he had never met her.

Andrew has also relinquished his Garter knighthood, meaning he will no longer be able to don his robes or attend the Order's annual service at Windsor Castle each June.

There have been longstanding calls for Prince Andrew to be stripped of his dukedom, a title bestowed upon him by the late Queen on his wedding day in 1986, due to the ongoing controversy surrounding his connections with convicted sex offender Epstein.

It's reported that Prince Charles took action last Friday, after consulting with Prince William, Prince Andrew and other members of the Royal family. This came to light following revelations that the then-Duke had emailed Epstein in 2011 stating "we're in this together", three months after he claimed to have severed all ties with him.

The Mail on Sunday has alleged that Prince Andrew attempted to discredit Ms Giuffre, according to a report by the Press Association.

It's claimed that he emailed the late Queen's then-deputy press secretary about his request to his protection officer, and also insinuated that Ms Giuffre had a criminal record.

This alleged attempt by the prince, which the police officer is not said to have acted upon, occurred in 2011, just hours before the newspaper first published the infamous photograph of Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre in London.

The newspaper claims to have obtained the email from disclosures held by the US congress.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated: "We are aware of media reporting and are looking into the claims made."

Prince Andrew was approached for comment by the Press Association.

The upcoming release of Ms Giuffre's posthumous memoirs on Tuesday has heightened scrutiny on the sexual assault allegations, which Andrew denies, and his links to Epstein.

Ms Giuffre claimed that Prince Andrew insisted she sign a one-year gag order following their settlement to avoid casting a shadow over the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

She likened Andrew's disastrous Newsnight appearance to an "injection of jet fuel" for her legal team, raising the prospect of "subpoenaing" Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie into the legal case, as reported by The Telegraph.

Ms Giuffre stated she gained "more out of" Andrew than a rumoured 12-million-dollar payout and two-million-dollar donation to her charity, as she received "an acknowledgement that I and many other women had been victimised and a tacit pledge to never deny it again".

The prince's ill-fated 2019 Newsnight interview, intended to clear his name, backfired when he expressed "no regret" over his friendship with convicted paedophile Epstein, who trafficked Ms Giuffre.

He faced severe backlash for his lack of empathy towards the sex offender's victims. Andrew also claimed he had "no recollection" of ever meeting Ms Giuffre and asserted he couldn't have had sex with her in March 2001 as he was at Pizza Express with Beatrice on the alleged day.

Ms Giuffre has accused, which Andrew strongly denies, that she was coerced into having sex with the prince on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Epstein.

Queen Elizabeth II was marking her platinum jubilee in 2022 - the first British monarch to achieve this milestone - as the civil case against her son continued to unfold. The settlement was reached just nine days after the Queen marked her 70th year on the throne.

Ms Giuffre, who tragically took her own life in April, disclosed in her memoir: "I agreed to a one-year gag order, which seemed important to the prince because it ensured that his mother's platinum jubilee would not be tarnished any more than it already had been."

England rugby star's 'inappropriate' Prince Andrew joke on Zara Tindall's big day - The Mirror