From The Only Way is Essex to The Apprentice, the nation is undeniably hooked on TV. Even certain members of the royal family have a soft spot for binge-worthy programmes…
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Prince Harry previously spoke to Amanda Holden about how much he loves Britain's Got Talent and Zara Tindall recently opened up about her love of Strictly Come Dancing.
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This year, members of the royal family have taken their TV obsession to a new level. In an unlikely turn of events two members of the Firm have traded their comfortable plush sofas for a slice of the action.
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While King Charles III made a starring appearance on BBC One's The Repair Shop, Mike Tindall is currently poised in the depths of Australia as he readies himself for ITV's hit show, I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
© Photo: Getty ImagesCharles has made a number of TV appearances
The team at HELLO! is taking a deep dive into this new phenomenon, what it means for the royal family and how it alters their image in the public eye.
King Charles
Although the monarch is used to appearing on camera, King Charles has only made one fleeting appearance on a reality TV series. Back in March 2013, the late Queen's eldest son agreed to guest edit Countryfile to mark the 25th anniversary of the ever-popular BBC show.
© Photo: RexThe royal couple met Holly and Phil
In 2018, Charles and Camilla joined forces with presenters Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby to celebrate the show's milestone 30th anniversary.
More recently, His Majesty garnered huge respect for his surprise appearance on The Repair Shop. Appearing on the special programme, the royal tasked Jay Blades, Steve Fletcher, Will Kirk and Kirsten Ramsay to repair a handful of antiques from Dumfries House.
© Photo: BBCCharles and Jay bonded over their shared passion
Royal fans loved the monarch's surprise appearance, with many drawing attention to the heartwarming camaraderie between Jay and Charles.
Viewers were also pleased to see King Charles in an informal setting and were delighted by his "natural warmth" and sense of humour. One person commented: "Omg loving #TheRepairShop with #KingCharles, he has such a good sense of humour and is so down to earth." Another added: "Absolutely loved #TheRepairShop tonight, King Charles showing his natural warmth in a subject he's clearly passionate about and chatting with Jay like old friends."
Mike Tindall
Mike's hotly anticipated appearance on I'm a Celeb comes after the former rugby player and his wife both made a brief appearance on Top Gear.
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Back in 2019, the royal couple went head to head as they boldly got behind the wheel and tried their hand at the notoriously difficult test track. At one point, the late Queen's granddaughter lost control of the wheel, sending the accomplished equestrian crashing into a grass verge. Yikes!
© Photo: Getty ImagesMike and Zara appeared on Top Gear
This year, Mike is hoping to impress yet again as he competes to be crowned king of the jungle. The father-of-three will be battling it out against the likes of pop icon Boy George, radio DJ Chris Moyles, Lioness star Jill Scott and Love Island's Olivia Attwood.
Mike is expected to be paid a staggering £150,000 pay cheque and will likely secure lucrative advertising deals. The 44-year-old has promised to be "an open book".
When asked whether the royal family approved of his appearance on the show, Mike remained tight-lipped. He simply responded with: "That's not something I need to tell you".
The former rugby player has jetted off to Australia
Chatting to ITV, Princess Anne's son-in-law revealed it was actually his podcast co-star James Haskell who talked him into taking part in the show. He said: "It is sinking in now that I am taking part. I am ready to rumble! I have been asked on numerous occasions to take part. The timing was right this year and Hask (James) did the show and he had been talking about it."
He continued: "I am eight years out of the game now so I am a bit more realistic about food, but I know James said the lack of food can sometimes be hard. But at least with the eating trials, you get food in you! It might not taste very nice but at least it is serving a purpose and giving you a protein intake. Bring on those challenges."
© Photo: RexJames Haskell took part in I'm a Celeb in 2019
Unbeknownst to many, this won't be the first time Mike has made an appearance on a reality TV show. In 2015, the former England rugby captain took part in Channel 4's action-packed The Jump. The royal reportedly had to ask permission from Queen Elizabeth II.
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Later that same year, Mike made a brief appearance on Bear Grylls: Mission Survive. From cracking his head open to calmly drinking his own urine, it's fair to say that the royal fully embraced his 12-day survival mission in the depths of Costa Rica.
Meghan Markle
Prince Harry's wife Meghan appeared on reality TV show Deal or No Deal in 2006 before she met the Duke. The 41-year-old enjoyed a brief stint on the programme during her formative years as an onscreen actress.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMeghan Markle opened up to Paris Hilton
Discussing the gig with Paris Hilton in a new episode of her podcast, Archetypes, the Duchess of Sussex said she didn't like how it made her feel.
"I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks," she said of the show. "And little substance. And that's how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype the word bimbo."
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Meghan explained how women were forced to "line up" for beauty treatments. "We were even given spray-tan vouchers each week because there was a very cookie cutter idea of precisely what we should look like. It was solely about our beauty," she said.
"I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn't the focus of why we were there and I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach."
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