Queen Elizabeth Declined a 24K Gold Nintendo Wii That Was Later Listed on eBay for $300,000
When a video game company had a 24k gold Nintendo Wii commissioned especially for Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch turned down the gift. Later, the extravagant electronic fell into the hands of someone who listed it on eBay. And they set an astounding asking price of $300,000.
Who supposedly introduced Queen Elizabeth to gaming? And why couldn’t the late queen keep a Wii made specifically for her? Read on to find out.
Queen Elizabeth II supposedly loved playing Wii bowling on Prince William’s Wii
According to a royal source who spoke to the Mirror, Queen Elizabeth wasn’t immune to the appeal of Wii Sports. They said her grandson, Prince William, introduced her to the console. That was after it was gifted to him by his then-girlfriend, Kate Middleton.
“When she saw William playing a game after lunch at Sandringham she thought the Nintendo [Wii] looked tremendous fun and begged to join in,” the source said. “She played a simple 10-pin bowling game and, by all accounts, was a natural. It was hilarious.”
That insider predicted William would have a hard time getting his game back. “His only difficulty now is [prying] it away from the Queen’s clutches. She showed all the signs of becoming a Nintendo addict,” they offered.
Queen Elizabeth couldn’t accept the gold Wii
The product manager of the company behind Queen Elizabeth’s Wii, THQ, explained the decision to send the extravagant gift. They told CBS News, per the Mirror, “… We thought that Her Majesty the Queen wouldn’t want to play on any old console, so an extra-special gold one was commissioned.”
The Mirror reported the Buckingham Palace website noted, “For security reasons, the Correspondence Team are unable to accept any unsolicited gifts which are sent to the queen.”
The company eventually went under, and an individual named Donny Fillerup from the Netherlands bought the opulent console. He ultimately, but reluctantly, decided to sell it on eBay.
“A good friend who works at Nintendo told me I should sell it for a price which is so high it would never find a buyer,” Fillerup explained in the product description, according to the Mirror. “He even advised me to start with $500,000.”
“I want to be reasonable with buying a place for myself, and $300,000 is the price that I came up with,” he added.
Prince William is a fan of video games, and so is Prince George
Royal sources say Prince William loves video games and gadgets. But he and Kate are trying to limit their children’s time with screens in their home.
“Prince William revealed in January 2022 during a trip to the BAFTA headquarters that his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis all ‘definitely like gaming, they’re fascinated by that,’” a spokesperson from SudokuCraze revealed (Express).
“Prince William also shared that Prince George, in particular, is a big fan of video games, so much so that he and Kate are ‘trying to regulate the gaming’ and monitor the amount of screen time Prince George is allowed.”
Despite their limitations, William reportedly uses a shared love for video games to bond with his children.
