One thing that’s always been said about the Duchess of Cambridge is that she’s very competitive. She was competitive when she was in school, and involved in sports, and we’ve seen her competitive streak come out whenever she and William are doing an event where they have to do anything sporty too. Kate’s reportedly like that about any sort of games, even a friendly card game or Scrabble. I would argue that her competitive side has flourished over the past year, with Meghan on the scene too. But I wonder… is Meghan competitive about games and sports? Or is she the kind of person who loses on purpose when she sees how much it means to her competition? I don’t know. But The Sun claims that Meghan and Kate played a lot of board games over the holidays:
Feuding royals Kate and Meghan patched up their differences over a festive game of Scrabble. The sisters-in-law happily played board games on Christmas Day. At one point the pair even teamed-up during traditional quiz games at the Queen’s Sandringham retreat.
An insider said: “If German and British troops could put their differences to one side to play football during World War One, the feeling was Kate and Meghan could follow suit for Scrabble. After watching the Queen’s speech, the board games were brought out and both women got stuck in. Pregnant Meghan wasn’t drinking but Kate had a glass of wine or two, and everyone was in great spirits. They were chuckling along together. You wouldn’t know there was any tension between the two. It was a wonderful day and night.”
I loathe Scrabble. I’ve never liked it. But put Trivial Pursuit in front of me, and I can play for hours. I bet Meghan is good at Trivial Pursuit! I bet she’s good at Pictionary and Charades too. But Scrabble? Blah. And I wonder how they teamed up? Were they a good team? Or will we hear at some point that Meghan couldn’t figure out Kate’s charade and then Meghan “made” Kate cry?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
What’s up with the German and British troops analogy?
During the first world war there was a Christmas truce (on the western front I think…) where the British and German troops came out of the trenches and played football together on Christmas day. Then went back to trying to kill each other afterwards.
Um I was being sarcastic
I actually watched the movie this was based on over the weekend, Joyeux Noel.
I had never heard this story before, thank you for the historical info plus the movie reference. I might watch it. The analogy to Kate and Meghan is hysterical. If these two women hate each other or become bffs it doesn’t matter one iota to the world. I’m betting both ladies are good at scrabble. Meghan does have degree from Northwestern. I think she is quite smart, and probably good at those kind of games as she had to do well on standardized tests. Which back in the day were a lot of analogies and latin words, which apparently they aren’t so much now. At least that’s what my daughter told me.
It’s the best story! I also love Joyeux Noel, the movie about it!
We don’t need a history lesson here. Who is this “source” who just compared Kate and Meghan to WWI troops? Horrible disgusting comparison.
Omg, isn’t this source so dramatic?
That struck me too. Horrible writing by horrible people. Insiders and sources are figments of the tabloids imagination. My bet is that this is entirely made up. So tired of the extremely sexist infantilizing stories about these women.
Yeah! I’m like, really? You think and compare these two women to that? The media hs gone bonkers for even repeating this typw of stupidity.
It really is a sick analogy. And pretty damned desperate.
Wouldn’t have thought it was anything to be sarcastic about. They picked up bodies which they couldn’t get to before at the same time and buried them. Poor, poor young guys.
That’s my point. Do you understand sarcasm? That this horrible war is being compared to Kate and Meghan’s supposed feud?
Becca your comment was really general and could have meant anything, “what up with X” can go any number of ways. No need to attack people for not reading your mind.
I feel you with scrabble (ugh, how annoying was it when words with friends was a thing?? I was constantly turning people down because I just, ughhhhhh), and I will add monopoly to the hate list, too. It never ends!
Trivial Pursuit is fun but can be hard–have you ever played the original one that came out in like 81? We have it, and it is really so much harder than the more recent iterations and themed ones. And, because the first one had such a rep for being so hard, none of our friends will play it with us!
My mother and one of my uncles were/are (my mother has passed) rather brainy and the visits where the Trivial Pursuit board would come out where legendary between the two of them. It would go on for hours.
That sounds like great fun and good memories! I’m sorry you lost your mom
Thank you @manda. It did make for some hilarious memories. My uncle is a very well respected attorney and book author and is too smart for his own good. We always said my mother should have gone on Jeopardy because she would have wiped the floor with a few people. Trivial Pursuit was their own little super bowl when we would see them once a year. Good times!
Co-sign on Monopoly. It’s the worst.
Ack! I loathe monopoly. I used to love Risk (Eddie Izzard: “Hitler never played Risk as a kid”) but good Lord that game can last a weekend. Now, I prefer cards and dice.
We do monopoly where you start out with $100 and 3 properties for free. You have to take out loans from the bank and work your way up with investments etc. anytime anyone lands on a property they either have to buy it or it goes up for auction to the group.
The game goes MUCH faster this way. Standard monopoly takes to long
How do you choose who gets what property? Because I agree standard monopoly takes too long…..
@thirsty random draw 3 from the deck to start.
I love Scrabble. I have been playing since I learned to spell. My family plays it on Christmas Day, too.
I love Scrabble 🤷🏼♀️ I played with the fam over Christmas and my mom was 10 points from winning even with her 50-point handicap. She CRUSHES us.
I’m a Scrabble fan, too.
But would American spellings count in a duchess match? I have questions.
That’s my question too. British and American spelling differs in a lot of words. I wonder how well Meghan would do with British Scrabble.
Meghan would’ve to use the U more often.
LOLOLOLOLOL 🙂
@Peg But few z’s…
I teach English as a Second Language and taught for four years in China. I have a word processing document that has all of the Scrabble letters on it (I counted them – 98) and a small number giving the points the letter has. I give a set of ALL of the letters to a group of students and then turn them loose. They go crazy. Playing the actual game is too complicated for them but this wide open version is lots of fun!
We have an old scrabble set we found in goodwill few years ago. It’s a game I can play but not too often. Also have to agree on Monopoly – too long and boring.
But we love to play bananagrams with our kids. I find it a lot easier and more fun. And it’s good for smaller kids just to play with letters and learn spelling too.
I love Scrabble! My brother, mom and I play whenever we can. However, I detest Clue. I hide when my nieces and nephews pull that one out of hall closet.
Lol!!! I read that as “hell closet” and nodded my head in agreement. I don’t mind Clue, but after a weekend of Hungry Hungry Hippos with an obsessive 3 year old, I’m done with anything that isn’t solitaire.
I can’t wait to read all about how Mean Meg made Poor Kate cry by insisting on using crass American spelling in Scrabble.
I loved the color of the dress she wore to the theater with her neighbor, though I realize the flavor of the evening was to ignore the recent rumor, which they did in good humor. (Okay, someone stop me.)
Ouch, u are hurting my Canadian eyes!!!!
LOL. The Americans to the British after the Revolutionary War: We don’t want U here!
Ha! U win, Bettyrose!
@Lucky Charm…..LOL Cdn here…same as @CommentingBunny and I LOL’d her comment also 🙂 ThQ
Who? What theater? I don’t get it.
Lovely story. I once read an article that said Kate and Pippa have been very loving sisters, but incredibly competitive their whole lives. One person even said they would try to Penelope-style one-up each other in EVERYTHING, even who had – get this – the worst monthly cramps. Everything. So, I believe that Kate is competitive.
I hate to be Debbie Downer, but isn’t this a very private story to have leaked? Who leaked it? I mean, it’s great because it’s positive, but what if it were negative? That wouldn’t be good and I’d be searching for what staff person leaked it. I officially would never want to be a royal. I’d be paranoid going into the kitchen or anywhere, for that matter. Gone are the old-school days when you could pretty much trust your staff and the press not to leak stories so much.
An article about monthly cramps is private!
Playing family board games over the holidays is pretty universal, though, so it seems like an innocuous detail to release in a statement. The dramatic embellishment is where being famous sucks. Like, can’t two people just play some friggin scrabble?
I know what you mean about the leaks.
I would like to think they will get on fine in the future, and probably have a meaningful friendship/sisterhood. They are very different personalities but nobody else will truly understand what they experience. I don’t just mean being a royal in the public eye, but being married to Diana’s boys, the sons of the future king. They have a unique position and it can’t be easy raising children in that environment. I hope they will help each other.
The courtiers have always leaked. It isn’t a normal Meghan’s the boss and they are employees situation. The staff have a lot more power than people realize and have used it to steer wayward royals back on to the straight and narrow for centuries. The fact that they have three separate courts has broken the system. If BP, CH, and KP are upset with something Will/Kate/Harry/Meghan are doing, then the courts might leak things. So, instead of a single warning shot, you end up with a full attack that doesn’t go over as intended. That’s how some minor issues (caused by cultural differences) that the courtiers were having with Meghan became a full on smear campaign with bonus racism from the press. However, the scrabble game was most likely leaked because Meghan and Kate wanted it leaked. It would have looked like damage control if it had come from an official press release.
I also believe that the two sisters were very competitive. Everything Kate has Pippa must have too. That is why Pippa will ensure she remains in the public eye.
Of all the threads in all the years I’ve been lurking, this is my first comment! We just got the game Telestrations for Christmas and have played it more than a handful of times in a week. Think of the game telephone but with pictures. One person draws and passes, next person interprets and passes, next person draws the interpretation etc… Last night my nieces and nephews and inlaws – all ages- played together at our Belated holiday party. I don’t think people have ever stayed so long at my house and I credit the game! So fun. No winners just laughs.
@MKP thank you for sharing that — I’ve never heard of that game but now I want to check it out! : )
The same happened at our Christmastime party. We played “Telestrations: After Dark” which is the adult naughty version of the game. Thankfully the kids all fell asleep upstairs as all the adults were playing/watching/laughing round after raunchy round until 3 am! … and we’re usually conservative and most are non-drinkers!
That sounds like a lot of fun! We sometimes play pictionary but don’t bother keeping score – we just play. It’s great fun!
The idea of a slightly wine-drunk Kate arguing over Scrabble rules with Megs is cracking me up this morning.
What’s a holiday scrabble match without some cinnamon infused glogg? But Meg is pregnant and Kate abhors empty calories, so I’m picturing tea and Perrier.
It’s nice to read about these two getting along, Happy New Years To Celebitchy and Posters.
It is. As for them not getting along, I just wonder if they’ve really spent enough time together not to get along. Anyway, the rivalry stories were pretty much written before the marriage!
Speaking of getting along, there’s a Youtube channel called the Royal Family Channel. They have a video of everyone waiting to enter the church on Christmas. Eugenie walks up to Meghan, and when Meghan speaks, Eugenie puts her hand on Meghan’s back and pats it while Meghan rubs Eugenie’s arm. Eugenie wouldn’t have done that if everyone hates Meghan.
I really do think (after that video especially), that William really does not like Meghan, and Kate is doing her best to smooth it over. Kate knows William obviously very very well and I really do think she is doing her best to make things tolerable when they are together. Don’t forget how long she has put up with William’s mood swings. I really don’t think the narrative is Kate and Meghan. Its William and Meghan but if that was out there “more”, William would be accused of being racist.
Now there is a story. What if William just doesn’t like Meghan. I mean it’s not like he would be alone in not liking an in-law. I have one brother-in-law I don’t really like. I’m cordial at gatherings, but I would probably look a bit like William too, if people caught me. I mean it could be as simple as he feels Meghan is pulling Harry away from him, who knows. You are right though it can’t come out, cause in this case he could be accused of being racist.
I was wondering the same!
If that is the case, then it might be because of the attention Meghan’s been getting and would give credence to the rumors that Will is behind the anti-Meghan stories. It’s been said many times that Kate pulls back so not to outshine Will. Will had better shape up because the monarchy might not live long enough for him to be king.
This is so dumb. I just can’t. Who cares.
Meghan spent years trying to make it in a very competitive industry, I’m sure she has a healthy appetite for competition. I don’t think you can stick it out long if you don’t.
This is a dumb story to leak but I’m tired about reading about fake drama between them so I’m happy for something positive to be out there.
What a tone-deaf comparison to make with the Germany & British analogy, where people lost their lives.
DK & DM don’t have a fued, it’s a media-made story, just stop already.
Exactly and now the media is gettingbacklash for that BS, so now “the girls have made up.” Gmab
I have a feeling Kate is “fun” in private – to keep a prince hooked for a decade… so I’m picturing her OWNING Meg on that scrabble match… but in good humour 😉
The more time is passing, the more I am sure that Kate and Meg are actually just fine and that the beefing is between boys because, let’s not forget, they are both REALLY spoiled and difficult, not to add something else. These two are probably supporting their husbands but also rolling their eyes behind their backs
This article is giving me an anxiety attack! lol. For starters, competitive people give make me so uncomfortable. Different strokes for different folks, and I am just not of the competitive / Type-A mold. Plus, Scrabble! Ugh. What a stressful game. Because even though it involves a lot of luck, people see it as some sort of intelligence indicator.
I’m not competitive, either, but I love Scrabble. My family will play with me and not keep score. We congratulate each other on finding interesting words. I came up with “trivial” this Christmas, two spaces from “pursuit”.
I love Scrabble too – started playing when I was a little kid and it really helped me with my language skills. Mr. Jaded won’t play with me anymore because I always win 🙂
@Ader: I’m with you on the competitive thing. I seriously dislike playing games with overly competitive people because it’s simply less fun and in my experience they tend to be quite smug when they win (and they really hate to loose – which is ridiculous).
I have family members like that and I simply refuse playing games with them. 😛
How many points did Kate get for BUTTONS?
Nah. Don’t buy it. Why would Kate play games with Meghan when she can return to her home and her kids?
Because she actually probably couldn’t due to formal traditions and/or maybe they were there and so was a nanny? If she’s still nursing, I imagine Louis would be there for sure.
I still feel that Kate and Meghan get along fine. They both seem to be pragmatic women. Their husbands, on the other hand…..
im normally not competitive regarding sports or games….but monopoly and uno did demand punches from me to my brother’s and cousins faces when i lost. LMAO
Well, I hate games! Can’t stand them in any shape or form. Very happy to be left out, just not my thing! 🤷♀️
You can come sit with me, I hate games too.Never understood people getting all out of sorts because of a game 😉
Exactly! ❤️
Same, I hate games.
I bet they weren’t playing “Drawing Without Dignity” or “Disturbed Friends”, two of the most hilarious games I’ve ever played – my ribs were aching for days after one raucous night with some good friends.
But the real question still remains…did they play Cards Against Humanity? I imagine MM would completely destroy at that game.
They pull that out after the Olds have gone off to bed!
I absolutely LOVE Cards Against Humanity! It’s the only game I ever want to play.
Samantha Markle has been put on a fixated person list,thank God,I think she will be less lousy,I just want to know what realy happened Btn her and Meghan to hate her this much,cause they supposed to be close cause they are sisters regardless of having different mothers.
Anyway Meghan’s mom represents the Ragland family cause they are so quiet and peaceful like her and her dad represents the Markle so well, loud with no sense of respect no wonder she wants nothing to do with them