Christmas with the Royal Family is filled with time-honored family traditions, a trip to church, and according to one former butler, the occasional dinner mishap. But apparently there was one game that the late Queen couldn't stand and went as far as to ban her family from playing at Sandringham House over the holiday season.
"Don’t suggest playing Monopoly, it’s banned!" former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Sun. She explained that Queen Elizabeth "thought it was too vicious" and wouldn't allow it to be played, instead preferring “a royal favorite" game of charades during the Christmas season.
"They also play a card game called Racing Demon, which can be very intense and competitive," Bond said. "Catherine in particular likes card games and is something she does with her own family."
Don't expect Prince William to take part, however. The Princess of Wales and her parents and siblings indeed love a good competitive card game, and even showed off their skills in her September 2024 cancer recovery video. But James Middleton mentioned how Prince William hates playing with them in his memoir, Meet Ella.
"William would flinch at our ruthless determination to win at all costs," James wrote in his book, explaining that the Prince of Wales would rather hang out with James's late dog, Ella.
"He’d be delighted to be the first out, and when no longer compelled to take part, he’d slink off to cuddle Ella," Middleton added. "Better still, he’d absent himself from the game entirely."
As for the rest of the Royal Family's Christmas games, Bond told the Sun that Christmas is slightly less formal than it used to be. "I think things have loosened up a bit since the late Queen’s reign, and while a lot of the family traditions will remain, things are a touch more relaxed and informal than before with the King and Queen Consort as hosts," she said.
That spirit might just even extend to beer pong, according to Bond, although it's hard to imagine The King signing off on that one.
"We know that Catherine enjoys the drinking game thanks to Mike Tindall, who said she was super competitive at it," Bond said. "Perhaps some of the family have started a new Christmas tradition at Sandringham!"
