Royals — they’re just like us! While the public may only refer to members of the British royalty by proper names like Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Her Majesty the Queen, the members of the family actually refer to each other by some endearing nicknames. From something classic like “Pops” to a term more unique, such as “Wombat,” the monikers are equally as interesting as they are heartfelt. Keep scrolling to discover them all!
‘Cabbage,’ ‘Wombat,’ ‘Squeak’: All the Endearing Nicknames of the Royal Family
Credit: Alexi Lubomirski/PA Images/Hand Out/Instarimages.com
'Cabbage,' 'Wombat,' 'Squeak': All the Endearing Nicknames of the Royal Family
Royals — they're just like us! While the public may only refer to members of the British royalty by proper names like Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Her Majesty the Queen, the members of the family actually refer to each other by some endearing nicknames. From something classic like "Pops" to a term more unique, such as "Wombat," the monikers are equally as interesting as they are heartfelt. Keep scrolling to discover them all!
Credit: Alexi Lubomirski/PA Images/Hand Out/Instarimages.com
'Cabbage,' 'Wombat,' 'Squeak': All the Endearing Nicknames of the Royal Family
Royals — they're just like us! While the public may only refer to members of the British royalty by proper names like Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Her Majesty the Queen, the members of the family actually refer to each other by some endearing nicknames. From something classic like "Pops" to a term more unique, such as "Wombat," the monikers are equally as interesting as they are heartfelt. Keep scrolling to discover them all!
Credit: Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace via Getty Images; Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images (inset)
“Mignonette”
Prince William revealed a sweet nickname for his daughter in May 2019 when he called Princess Charlotte, “Mignonette.” The French word, which is derived from “mignon,” means “small” or “delicate.” Old French definitions also include “dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind.”
Instagram user @all.thats.pretty discovered that Duchess Kate has a pet name for Princess Charlotte after meeting the royal in Northern Ireland in February 2019 and being asked her about her children's ages. "She said ... 'Oh, he's the same age as Lottie.' Charlotte, she calls her Lottie!" the social media influencer said of Kate in a Story posted on February 28.
Duchess Kate’s official name may be Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, but her brother-in-law Prince Harry goes with something much more casual — “Cath,” a shortened version of her first name. BBC Radio 1 host Scott Mills asked the Duchess about the nickname during a 2017 interview, but she was a little confused. “I'm not that familiar with it, I have to say, but I'll answer to most things, to be honest,” the mother of three said at the time.
Kate revealed a hilarious nickname she had growing up — and shared with one of her pets — while visiting St. Andrew's School in Pangbourne, England, in November 2012. “There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, because my sister was called ‘Pippa’ and I was ‘Squeak,’” she said of the two guinea pigs her family had when she was young.
"The title that caught my eye was the same one the prince's communications director promptly put away — a picture book about Harry Potter. To his friends, 'Potter' is the prince's nickname but apparently not something Palace PR would want to distract from our interview,” Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme said of meeting Harry in 2013.
The Duchess' Marlborough College classmates allegedly used to call her "Princess-in-Waiting" because she kept a picture of Prince William in his polo uniform on her while at school.
While most people call her Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was once referred to by something a little more personal — "Lilibet." The queen couldn’t pronounce “Elizabeth” when she was young, which is how the nickname started. "Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy,” her late father, King George VI, once said.
"It began when I was 2. I've been rightfully told because I can't remember back that far. But when we went to Australia with our parents, and the wombat, you know, that's the local animal. So I just basically got called that. Not because I look like a wombat, or maybe I do,” Prince William told Matt Lauer of the nickname his late mother, Princess Diana, lovingly gave him when he was a child.
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, got their nicknames for each other from BBC radio’s The Goon Show. While the monikers are sweet for couple, they actually clued Princess Diana in on Charles’ affair just weeks before their wedding. The late princess found a package from her soon-to-be husband and, despite being advised not to, opened it. “There was the bracelet,” she said during an interview in 1997, according to The Mirror. “I was devastated and I said, 'Well, he's going to give it to her tonight.’” Royal biographer Andrew Morton later reported that the piece of jewelry was "engraved with the letters G and F" and Camilla wore it for years, even after Charles and Diana wed.
Prince Philip lovingly calls his wife, Queen Elizabeth, “Cabbage” for unknown reasons. Royal biographer Robert Lacey confirmed the nickname to The Sunday Times in 2006: "Yes, I've heard that is how he will sometimes refer to her."
Just like his dad! The Duchess of Cambridge revealed in April 2016 that her eldest son, Prince George, refers to his royal great-grandmother as “Gan-Gan.” She added at the time, “[The queen] always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows her love for her family.”
Prince George may be young, but he already has a nickname for his famous father. “Kate said that William was playing football with the children last night and one of them said — I think it was George — ‘Are you playing football tomorrow, Pops?’” Leicester City Football Club season ticket holder Fiona Sturgess told reporters in November 2018.
Duchess Meghan has a tumultuous relationship with her estranged dad, Thomas Markle, but is very close to father-in-law Prince Charles, the man who walked her down the aisle when she married Prince Harry in May 2018. According to reports, the future king calls his daughter-in-law “Tungsten” because she is “strong and unbending” like the metal.
Just as Prince George has a special nickname for Queen Elizabeth, he also has one for Camilla. The Duchess of Cornwall told singer Lady Gaga at the 2016 Royal Variety Performance that her grandkids George and Princess Charlotte also call her “Gaga.”
Like husband, like wife! Just as Prince William calls Kate "Poppet," the duchess also uses the sweet nickname for her daughter. An onlooker overheard the Duchess of Cambridge telling Princess Charlotte to "get up, Poppet" during a holiday shopping trip in December 2018.
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