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Queen Elizabeth owns a variety of riches, few more particular than a 24-karat fold Nintendo Wii. Per The Mirror, the Queen loved to play video games, something she shared with her grandson, Prince William, and was gifted the Wii so she could enjoy and indulge on her hobby.
Palace sources claim the Queen took a liking to video games when she saw Prince William playing bowling on the Wii console at her house in Sandringham. “She thought the Nintendo looked tremendous fun and begged to join in,” said the source. “She played a simple 10-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural. It was hilarious.”
“William was in fits of laughter,” said the source. “He was enormously impressed at having such a cool gran.”
The Golden Nintendo Wii was a gift from THQ, a video game company, that had the console specially designed for her. “Big Family Games is the ultimate Wii game to get all family members, from grandparents to young children, playing together,” said a spokesperson for CBS News in 2009. “But we thought that Her Majesty the Queen wouldn’t want to play on any old console, so an extra-special gold one was commissioned.”
Sadly, the Queen can’t receive presents from unsolicited visitors, which means that she never got to play on the one-of-a-kind console. The Nintendo was listed on eBay for $300,000 and was purchased by an IT administrator for an undisclosed amount. It’s now listed for sale on eBay.
“Due to the Palace Correspondence Team’s understandably strict policy when it comes to gifts, however, for security reasons, the console never actually made it into the Palace, let alone into the Queen’s hands,” reads the listing. “Don’t miss your opportunity to own this truly one-of-a-kind Nintendo collectible! (Crown Jewels not included.)”