Prince William used to have an excuse to get out of a very "competitive" game night with the Middleton family.
Prince William’s close bond with his parents-in-law has often been remarked upon, with Carole Middleton in particular being described as like a "second mum" to him. She was reportedly "indispensable" when Prince George, Charlotte and Louis were younger and in June he gallantly came to Carole’s rescue when her heel got caught in the grass at Royal Ascot. They definitely saw the funny side of this mishap hilarious and though Prince William clearly enjoys spending time with the Middletons, he apparently wasn’t always as much of a fan of family games nights. So much so that according to Kate’s brother James, the future King used to try and excuse himself from them.
As reported by Express.co.uk, James Middleton was asked about Prince William’s games night excuse on The Dog podcast by author and animal lover Emily Dean. She put forward the suggestion that the senior royal had found it a little "too competitive" playing with the Middletons.
"The Middletons are quite competitive and they love a game, don't they? And then you made poor William play, and he found it too competitive and actually used to make excuses," she said.
James is said to have responded, "It was after family dinner, we would be sat there and the cards would come out, and [he would] perhaps see if Ella needed a walk or make an excuse to get down from the table. Racing demon is probably the most fast-paced, competitive one that we all play together."
James Middleton’s beloved dog Ella sadly passed away in January 2023 and his new book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, is focused on their unbreakable bond and what they went through together. In his opinion, Ella was the perfect "excuse" for Prince William to escape playing cards and the royal actually looked forward to losing so he could go and "cuddle" her.
"Ella gives [William] a good excuse to escape the fiercely competitive nature of the Middleton family, which emerges every time we play our favourite fast-paced card game, racing demon," James claimed. "William flinches at our ruthless determination to win at all costs. He's delighted to be the first out, and when no longer compelled to take part, he slinks off to cuddle Ella."
"I think he'd prefer to absent himself from the game entirely. ‘James, does Ella need a walk?’ he asks before we've even started dealing the cards," the Princess of Wales’s brother added. "My sisters and I exchange a knowing glance: William, for all the competitive rigour of his military training, is happy to be a loser at cards."
It’s not known whether Prince William is still eager to avoid some of the more fast-paced Middleton card games, but Kate’s competitive nature is something he’ll be very accustomed to by now.
The couple joined Mike Tindall and Princess Anne for a special episode of the former rugby star’s podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, filmed at Windsor Castle in 2023. Their competitive natures were discussed and whilst Kate joked that she didn’t know "where this has come from", she then admitted that she didn’t think she and Prince William had been able to finish a tennis match against each other as it becomes a "mental challenge" between them.
Despite the couple’s competitiveness, though, Prince William also expressed how they want Prince George, Charlotte and Louis "understand" how to "lose well".
"I think it's really important from a young age to understand how to lose, and why we lose, and to grow from it and what you learn from that process," he declared. "But also to win well, and not boast."
