Queen Elizabeth II's Unlikely Gift: A Gold-Plated Nintendo Wii

In a fascinating revelation, it emerged that Queen Elizabeth II was once gifted a bespoke 24-carat gold Nintendo Wii by video game company THQ as part of their BIG Family Games promotion. The luxurious gaming console was delivered straight to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen reportedly enjoyed playing the bowling game on the popular console. This unexpected gift highlights the Queen's love for technology and gaming, with her becoming hooked on Prince William's Nintendo Wii games console in 2008.

Key Takeaways:

• The Queen was gifted a 24-carat gold Nintendo Wii by THQ as part of their BIG Family Games promotion.
• The bespoke console was delivered straight to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen enjoyed playing the bowling game on the popular console.
• The Queen became hooked on Prince William's Nintendo Wii games console in 2008, with a Palace source describing her as a "natural" at Wii Bowling.
• The gold-plated Nintendo Wii was eventually sold on eBay for a staggering $300,000 in 2017 after the company who sent it to Her Majesty, THQ, went bust.
• According to Buckingham Palace, for security reasons, they cannot accept any unsolicited gifts sent to the Queen.

Statistics:

• The gold-plated Nintendo Wii was sold on eBay for $300,000 in 2017.
• The console came with one game, 'Big Family Games', and one Wii remote control.
• The condition of the console was listed as "fully operational and functions as intended".
• The eBay listing included a description of the console's authentication and documentation, which was attached to the listing.

Sources:

• "Queen Elizabeth II becomes hooked on Wii games" (CBS News, 2009)
• "Buckingham Palace website"
• eBay listing for 24 Karat Golden Nintendo Wii
• Interview with Donny Fillerup, the administrator who bought the console from eBay (2017)