Mike Tindall makes the Queen laugh with a magical Royal Ascot surprise

Mike Tindall had the rest of the royal family in hysterics on the opening day of Royal Ascot, and it was all caught on camera.

Mike, who is married to the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips, entertained the Queen, Princess Beatrice and the Countess of Wessex on the opening day of the racing event with an impromptu magic routine.

The former rugby union player whipped off his black top hat, then delved in before pulling out a tiny top hat that had been concealed inside. He then promptly replaced the small hat, and put the big hat back on his head.

The Queen was caught grinning broadly and exclaiming, "Oh look at that!" while Sophie looked completely stunned, before turning to Her Majesty to share a giggle.

Even ITV’s baffled racing commentator couldn’t help but chuckle. "Not sure what Mike Tindall just found in his top hat there!" he remarked.

ITV Racing posted the clip on their Twitter feed, asking followers to guess what the mystery object might be. "Is that a mini hat in a hat @miketindall13!?" they demanded. "Or a cupcake, some cheese? Answers, please!"

Several viewers weighed in with their own theories. "Large Nespresso capsule," one tweeted. "Yoghurt pot," suggested another.

"It’s the chocolates you can buy in the shop I think," said another. "So funny!!"

Another implied that the playful dad-of-two might have been inspired by Prince Phillip’s antics. "I once read that the Duke of Edinburgh hid a transistor radio under his hat, to listen to the cricket!" they revealed.

Mike’s wife Zara beamed as she looked on, wearing a stunning floral print dress topped off with a blue fascinator. The pair, whose baby daughter Lena is Prince Harry’s god daughter, were also seen laughing with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the event. In fact, it was quite the family affair, with Prince Charles, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Eugenie all in attendance.

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The royal family’s resident joker, Mike has been married to Zara since July 2011. They have two daughters together, five-year-old Mia and one-year-old Lena. The kids are already forming strong bonds with their royal cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

"Lena and obviously Louis are similar ages and Mia’s sort of in between Charlotte and George," Mike told the Telegraph earlier this year. "Then you’ve got Peter’s children Savannah and Isla who are just a little bit older."