Prince William and Duchess Catherine have inspired Britons to play Scrabble.
Sales of the popular word game – in which players score points by forming words using individual lettered tiles – have soared by 65 per cent on auction website eBay in the UK after it was revealed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge love to play the game.
Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo revealed the news as he recalled a conversation he had with the duchess – who was known as Kate Middleton prior to her and William’s nuptials in April 2011 – about playing Scrabble, and she told him the couple often have arguments when they play the game.
Speaking on documentary ‘Our Queen’, he said: ”When William and Kate play Scrabble they don’t usually finish it – because one of them slams it shut.”
Thanks in part to the royal revelation, Scrabble is now the top selling board game in Britain over the past three months, and in the past six months its sales have risen by 154 per cent.
eBay spokesman Steven Heywood said: ”Board games have always been a hit amongst British families, and it seems the royal family is no exception.
”Now more than ever the nation is opting for traditional ways to have fun and unwind, and Scrabble is top of the list of the nation’s game of choice.”
It’s not the first time a royal has been known to enjoy a game of Scrabble. On Valentine’s Day in 2009 (14.02.09), Lord Frederick Windsor – the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent – proposed to actress Sophie Winkleman, who is now his wife, with a Scrabble set.
The brunette beauty recalled: ”We went for a picnic and Freddie bought a Scrabble set along because we were very into it at the time.
”He said, ‘I’ll unpack the picnic and you unpack the Scrabble.’ When I unfolded the board I saw he had spelt out a marriage proposal.”
eBay’s top 10 selling board games over the past three months are:
1. Scrabble
2. Monopoly
3. Chess
4. Cluedo
5. Backgammon
6. Draughts
7. Guess Who
8. Pictionary
9. Operation
10. Snakes and Ladders