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British royal names can be a doozy. Take William Arthur Philip Louis or Elizabeth Alexandra Mary or even Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David. No matter how much blue blood flows through your veins, no one, no one, is throwing out a multi-moniker like that in casual conversation, which is where royal nicknames come in.
Sure, there’s the obvious—Will for William or Harry for Henry. But behind closed doors, the Windsors get a little more creative.
Kate Middleton, for example, is called “Catherine” in public. However, the British tabloids reported this week that her brother-in-law Prince Harry calls her “Cath.”
At an appearance in 2012, the Duchess revealed that growing up, she was called “Squeak.”
Prince William, too, had an adorable childhood nickname: Wombat, given to him by Princess Diana. In a 2007 interview with NBC, however, he admitted it’s somehow stuck with him into adulthood. “I can’t get rid of it now,” he said. “It began when I was two. 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 Harry, according to his brother, has got “plenty” of pet names. They range from a bit on-the-nose (Ginger) to the obscure (Spike, which is also suspected to be his former Facebook alter ego). Yet most of them the world will likely never know: “Most of them I can’t call in front of here,” William told NBC when asked. “ You know, [they’re] a bit rude.”
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, though, have pet names that are certainly safe for work: Hello! reports they call each other Fred and Gladys.
But perhaps the queen of all royal nicknames belongs to, well, Queen Elizabeth II herself. Famously called “Lilibet” growing up and by her close friends and family, she’s managed to accrue several more during her reign. Prince Philip calls her “Cabbage” (and, some claim, “Sausage”). As a child, Prince William was unable to say “Granny”—so he called her “Gary,” according to the Daily Mail.
In the documentary Our Queen at 90, Kate Middleton said that Prince George calls the Queen “Gan-Gan.” How’s that for a royal title?
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