The public may think that being a member of the British royal family is all fun and games, but one relative of the Queen’s is speaking out this week to say that there are actually both “benefits and negatives” to being royal.

Mike Tindall is the grandson-in-law of Queen Elizabeth, as he is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall. In a new interview with The Times, Mike opened up about life as a royal, saying that it comes with a lot of pressures and that it “has its benefits and it has its negatives.”

“You think about what you do and you have to be aware of it but it doesn’t necessarily dictate. Zara and I have always been good at getting on with what’s right for us,” Mike explained.

Mike and Zara are currently expecting their third child, who will join their two daughters Mia, 7, and Lena, 2. Mike made no secret of the fact that after two girls, they are hoping for a boy.

“It was always an interesting question whether we’d go for a third and I think both of us wanted a boy, so hopefully we’ll get one,” said Mike, 42. “We’re not finding out — I think it’s better that way. At the end of the day, you’re just happy if it’s got ten fingers and ten toes and it’s healthy.”

“And Mia’s such a Daddy’s girl, it’s been brilliant. I’ve loved having girls,” he added.

Mike is a former rugby player and Zara once competed in the Olympics as an equestrian, so their children likely have some pretty strong athletic genes. However, Mike made it clear that he is not pressuring them to take up sports in any way.

“You can’t say rugby’s just for the boys when England women’s have won the World Cup more than we have,” he said. “Mia can make her own mind up. I’d love to see her get to a good standard at a sport. I’ll support her with all my heart and soul but I’m definitely not going to force her.”

Mike and Zara have been open about their fertility struggles in the past, telling the world that they had two miscarriages before they welcomed Lena in 2018. Mike said that this pregnancy has been “really low-key” amidst COVID-19, as they have spent it isolating on the Gatcombe Park estate owned by Zara’s mother, Princess Anne.