Before the failure of the Wii U, Nintendo was at the top of its game with the original Wii, which attracted people from all walks of life, including royalty, or so we’ve been led to believe. Back in 2009, the Wii made headlines all over the world when news broke that Queen Elizabeth II was a proud owner of a gold-plated Wii console.

Ten years have passed, and it seems that most people have forgotten that the golden Wii ever existed. However, this did not stop YouTube channel People Make Games to reinvestigate the story to find out what happened to the Queen’s Wii. As it turns out, the golden Wii story is all part of a PR stunt spearheaded by THQ to boost sales of its Wii title, Big Family Games.

When THQ found out via UK tabloids that the Queen is an avid fan of the Wii, the developer had the bright idea of sending her a gold-plated console with a copy of the game, in hopes of sparking a conversation and bring attention to Big Family Games. Unfortunately for THQ, one cannot just walk up to Buckingham Palace and deliver a gift to the Queen for obvious security reasons. Although the world was led to believe that the Queen was now a proud owner of a golden Wii, the console was returned to THQ.

The YouTuber then contacted several people from THQ to ask about the golden Wii’s whereabouts. As it turns out, when THQ filed for bankruptcy back in 2012, the console landed in the hands of an avid collector known as Dan2K0. People Make Games then flew from the UK to the Netherlands where the console was located, not in a grand palace surrounded by members of the Royal Family but in the humble home of a console enthusiast.

While the console didn’t end up in the possession of the UK’s head of state, at least its creators can rest easy knowing that the gold-plated Wii is being taken care of by a gaming enthusiast. As for THQ, the developer has made a comeback several years ago as THQ-Nordic and is now the publisher of games such as Darksiders and Battle Chasers: Nightwar.