Prince William’s Clever Christmas Ritual with George, Charlotte and Louis Reveals How He Encourages Sharp Thinking

After joining other members of the royal family for the traditional Sandringham walkabout, Christmas Day for the Prince and Princess of Wales is centered entirely around their three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven. That often means indulging them, even if it involves a festive tradition that keeps them awake well past their usual bedtime.

In 2021, while speaking from their then home at Kensington Palace on the Royal Marsden London Hospital’s radio station, Prince William — now 43 — chatted with presenter Barry Alston and answered questions from children, including one from a young boy named Henry.

“I like board games. What is your favourite board game?” Henry asked the Prince, to which William replied: “Henry, we play board games with the children quite a lot. We love Monopoly — that’s a good one — and Risk. Have you played Risk before? It’s a great game, it goes on for hours, and usually everyone ends up getting very cross when they lose. But that’s what I enjoy playing.”

What are the Wales family’s fаvourite board games?

William has revealed that Monopoly and Risk are firm favorites in their household on Christmas Day, which the family of five typically spends at Sandringham House in Norfolk alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Created by Charles Darrow in 1935, Monopoly is the iconic real-estate board game in which players aim to build their fortunes by buying, selling, and trading properties. Over the years, it has expanded beyond the board, with digital versions now available on the Nintendo Switch and iPhone.

Risk, on the other hand, has been around since 1957 and is a strategy game for two to six players, challenging them to conquer the world map by placing armies, battling for territories, and defeating their rivals.

READ MORE: Prince William and Princess Kate Share Heartfelt Words After Tragic Attack in Australia

Why are board games helpful for children?

Board games are a time-honoured way to bring families together at Christmas, but their benefits for children extend far beyond simple entertainment.

Dr Sasha Hall, a HCPC-registered senior education and child psychologist, told HELLO! that, on a social level, games help children develop key skills such as taking turns, waiting, negotiating, and managing both winning and losing — all of which are essential for building healthy peer relationships.

Dr Sasha added: “Emotionally, children are practising how to manage frustration, disappointment, and excitement in a safe, contained environment, with trusted adults modelling calm emotional regulation when games become tense.”

“Cognitively, board games support planning, prоblem-solving, flexible thinking and understanding cause and effect, as children learn that their decisiоns have consequences over time.”

Dr Sasha also highlighted that the type of game chosen plays an important role in children’s development. She explained: “Strategy-based games like Risk place greater demands on planning, strategic thinking, and foresight, while also engaging working memory and perspective-taking as children try to anticipate other players’ moves.”

She added: “Most importantly, playing together creates moments of shared focus, laughter, and connection, helping to strengthen family bonds and build positive memories around learning and play.”

Uniting the royal family at Christmas

A sense of togetherness is especially important to William at Christmas. Speaking on Barry Alston’s show, he said: “Bringing the family together at Christmas time is always lovely because we’re quite spread out, all doing our own thing during the year, so we get very few opportunities to actually come together.”

“When I see my childrеn meet up with my cousin’s children and they all have a wonderful time playing together, it’s vеry special.”

Source