Kate Middleton really does go hard when it comes to friendly competition, her brother, James Middleton confirmed. James revealed during a podcast interview earlier this month that Prince William employed James’ dog, Ella, as a canine scapegoat in the earlier years of his relationship with Kate to avoid the Middleton family’s ruthless post-dinner card games.
While appearing as a guest on the podcast Walking the Dog with Emily Dean, James elaborated on his sister’s competitive spirit, which he also discussed in his recent memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life.
The Middleton family typically wrapped up group dinners with the fast-paced card game Racing Demon. It was, according to James, perhaps a little too demonic for William. The young royal would find convenient excuses to opt out of the competition.
“It was after family dinner, we would be sat there and the cards would come out, and [William would] perhaps see if Ella needed a walk or make an excuse to get down from the table,” James said on the episode. “Racing Demon is probably the most fast-paced, competitive one that we all play together.”
In the book, James wrote that 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.”
Thanks to Mike Tindall, who is married to William’s cousin Zara Tindall, we know that Kate is also a fierce beer pong competitor, and it was on his podcast, The Good, the Bad, and the Rugby, that Kate revealed that her competitive spirit lives on.
“I don’t think we’ve managed to finish a game of tennis, the two of us,” Kate said when she sat for an interview on the show alongside William and Princess Anne. “It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us.”
“I’m not going to say you’re uber competitive, but…” Tindall said, adding, “I’ve seen her play beer pong!”
Word is still out on whether William ever uses Orla, the black cocker spaniel puppy that James gifted the family in 2020, as an excuse to duck out of competition with his wife.
