The Video Game Console That Queen Elizabeth II Enjoyed The Most
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8, 2022, as confirmed by the Royal Family's official Twitter account. This news follows a series of health issues that have been reported by the British press, including a bout with COVID-19 earlier this year. It was announced by Buckingham Palace (per ABC News) that the Queen had been placed under careful observation after doctors raised further concerns about her health. The Queen, aged 96, passed away surrounded by her loved ones (per Reuters), who had come from all over to be by her side. These very loved ones often shared in Queen Elizabeth's love of games of all kinds.
Yes, what many fans and followers of the Royal Family may not know is that the beloved Queen was also a bit of a gamer, and she often shared that love with her family. Not only did she take great joy in family game nights — according to Cambridge News, she was particularly fond of classic party games like charades, the Name Game, and even long rounds of Monopoly — but she also dabbled in video games on a few occasions. In fact, one video game console stood out to the Queen when it was given to Prince Charles as a gift back in 2007, and her time with it ended up leading to the creation of one of the more interesting limited edition consoles in history.
Queen Elizabeth II reportedly loved Wii Sports
"Wii Sports" made a huge splash when it made its debut, bringing households together with its multiple mini-games and fun motion-controlled interface. All these years later, it still ranks as the best-selling Nintendo game of all time, as noted by Den of Geek. People just could not get enough of it.
Apparently, "Wii Sports" was also a pretty big deal for the Royals when it made its debut in the mid-2000s. A report from The People (per Wired) states that Kate Middleton gave Prince Charles a Nintendo Wii for Christmas in 2007, and the Queen was apparently so enamored by the "Bowling" mini-game that she had to try it for herself. She apparently had a blast, taking to the game like she'd been playing for years. According to The People, "She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural."
It is unknown whether the Queen's Wii gaming extended beyond "Wii Sports" — for example, there are no stories about her swinging the Master Sword in "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" — but the amusing anecdote really struck a cord with people. And though it may not have been her intention, Queen Elizabeth's enjoyment of the Wii left a surprising mark on video game collectible history.
Queen Elizabeth's enjoyment of the Wii led to a 'Royal' edition
Following this surprising news, Nintendo partnered with THQ Games to produce a one-of-a-kind gold-plated Wii console as a gift for the Queen. It's unclear if the 24 karat Wii — which was built to promote THQ's "BIG Family Games" — ever actually made it into Queen Elizabeth's hands. According to Kotaku, the palace's security measures likely prevented her from ever getting a chance to go bowling with a golden wii remote. The console changed hands between THQ and collectors until it found its way to eBay with a starting bid of $300,000. At the time, the listing — posted by the owner of ConsoleVariations — joked that the game system did not come with the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, just in case anyone was in the market for those.
Though the gold Wii stands as something of a curious artifact from Nintendo history, it's also a fitting tribute to the Queen's love of family game nights.