Did Louis XIV of France play the flute?

Answer 1

Not exactly; he played mail, a game played in a long garden alley rather than on a lawn, but which involved hitting balls through hoops with a mallet (maillet). It was apparently the Irish who transformed this into croquet. Oddly, Louis XIV transformed it too; he invented a miniature indoor version for winter games, thus inventing the billiard table!

Answer 2

yes, but he was very bad at it.