Prince William reportedly has a “cheeky way” of escaping game nights with his wife, the Princess of Wales, and her family, the Middletons.

James Middleton, Kate’s younger brother, revealed that William found their family game nights “too competitive” and would often concoct “excuses” to slip away.

Appearing on The Dog podcast, James recalled how William, who started dating his older sister when he was around 13, would join them for game nights but would frequently ask if James’ dog Ella “needed a walk” as an excuse to leave the table.

Emily Dean, an author and animal lover, quizzed James about the tradition and said: “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.”

To which James 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.” He added that “Racing demon is probably the most fast-paced, competitive one that we all play together.”

James also shared that William often felt uncomfortable at these family gatherings as he added: “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”, reports the Express.

“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,” he continued.

“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.

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“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.” The competitive and ambitious streak appears to run through the Middleton’s veins, with both Pippa and Kate having enjoyed beating their opponents at school sporting events.

The sisters were both on the hockey team as teenagers, although Princess Kate was team captain during her years at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Kate was also a star tennis player and a keen netball player.