Royal family nicknames - Adorable names royals use in private from Kate Middleton to Prince William
Each royal has some interesting nicknames...Just like many of us, the royal family has nicknames for each other from King Charles and Prince William to the younger members of the clan.
Some royals have also been given nicknames from their staff and pals. So, what are they called behind closed doors?
Apparently, King Charles had a nickname for daughter-in-law Meghan Markle when she joined the monarchy because of her resilience.
From “One Pint Willy” (can you guess who that’s about?!) to “the boss lady,” here’s a rundown on all the family members’ nicknames…
Royal family nicknames
Well, it makes sense to start with the head of the family – King Charles.
There’s a few nicknames linked to the king, including one from his wife Queen Camilla.
According to royal commentator Charles Rae, the king and queen called each other “Fred and Gladys” before their marriage, inspired by characters from The Goon Show.
Meanwhile, Charles has some affectionate nicknames from his grandchildren. He’s reportedly known as “Grandpa Wales” to his three of his grandkids – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Camilla’s grandchildren apparently call Charles “Uppa”. And his children, Prince William and Prince Harry, refer to him as “Pa”.
Elsewhere, his younger sister Princess Anne apparently gave him the nickname of “old bean”. It was revealed in the documentary, Charles III: A Coronation Year.
And his daughter-in-law Kate apparently calls Charles “Grandpa”.
Queen Camilla given the nickname ‘the lady boss’
As well as “Gladys,” Queen Camilla has apparently been called “Lorraine” by her family before she became queen consort.
Why you ask? Well, apparently, it’s a playful reference to the French word la reine, which means “the queen”.
Meanwhile, Camilla was given the nickname “the lady boss” by some of her aides at Clarence House.
According to reports, Camilla is referred to as “Gaga” by her grandchildren. Her former daughter-in-law Sara Parker Bowles revealed the sweet detail in an interview with The Times in 2023.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s nicknames for each other
Every couple usually has nicknames for each other and Prince William and wife Kate are no different it seems.
Reports claim that the Princess of Wales has a pretty cheeky nickname for Wills – “Big Willy”. Umm…
She also sometimes would cheekily call him “Baldy,” according to reports.
Meanwhile, Prince William apparently had a more affectionate nickname for Kate in the early days of their relationship – “Babykins”. Cute.
William has some other nicknames within the family. His younger brother Prince Harry refers to him as “Willy” in his 2023 memoir Spare. He was also called “Wombat” by his late mother Princess Diana when he was a kid.
Read more: Harry and Meghan ‘didn’t say daughter Lilibet’s name when asking Queen for permission’
Elsewhere, Mike Tindall – who is married to William’s cousin Zara Tindall – has a nickname for the prince too – “One Pint Willy”.
He explained during a 2023 podcast interview: “The Prince of Wales is known to me as One Pint Willy. He is not the best of drinkers.”
However, William took it all in good manner and said on a podcast appearance: “I think that might be some of the nicknames. But, he apologised to me about that. I said, ‘Mike, when you say you’re not going to mention anyone’s nicknames, that doesn’t mean you can then mention mine. That’s not fair.'”
Elsewhere, Kate herself has a few nicknames. She was called “Squeak” as a child by her classmates. Kate explained it was a nod to her class’ guinea pigs. She said in 2017: “There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, so my sister was called Pip and I was called Squeak.”
She was also given a nickname by her brother-in-law Prince Harry, who called her “Cath”.
George, Charlotte and Louis’ nicknames
William and Kate’s children also have cute nicknames. Prince George, 11, was reportedly given the nickname “PG” by his school pals.
Some even added “tips” to the end of the nickname as George was referred to as “PG Tips”. Pretty fitting for a royal, eh!
A source once told the Mirror that George loved the nickname.
Meanwhile, William and Kate’s middle child Princess Charlotte, nine, is affectionately referred to as “Lottie” by her parents.
Kate calls her youngest Prince Louis, six, “Lou Bugs” and “Lou Lou”. She was heard using the name during a family royal engagement.
Prince Harry called ‘Harold’ by Prince William
Prince Harry was apparently called “Harold” by his brother William when they were younger. Harry’s real name is Henry Charles Albert David.
Elsewhere, Harry apparently had two nicknames given to him by his late mother Diana – “My little Spencer” and “Good King Harry”.
I became Spike, when I wasn’t Haz, or Baz, or Prince Jackaroo, or Harold, or Darling Boy, or Scrawny.
The second nickname came from Diana’s reported belief that Harry would be better equipped to be king than William.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, royal commentator Charles Rae claimed Diana believed “he would have been better equipped for the role as a future king”.
Read more: Meghan Markle ‘changes her name on Archie’s birth certificate’
In his memoir Spare, Harry said he gained the nickname “Spike” from his mates. He explained that after shaving his hair when he was younger, when it started growing back it “shot up like summer grass”.
He wrote: “Soon enough my mates at home got wind of this new nickname, and adopted it. I became Spike, when I wasn’t Haz, or Baz, or Prince Jackaroo, or Harold, or Darling Boy, or Scrawny, a nickname given me by some palace staff.”
His children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet call him ‘Papa’. Adorable. Whereas, his wife Meghan simply calls him Haz or by his initial H, which she says is because of the ‘secret’ code they used while dating.
Meghan Markle ‘given brutal nickname’ by Prince Philip
Elsewhere, Meghan Markle earned herself some nicknames too. Meghan and Harry apparently refer to each other as “H” and “M”.
The Duchess of Sussex has also been called “Meg” by Harry, friends and her family. She also revealed that her mother, Doria Ragland, gave her the nickname of “Flower” when she was a child and still calls her that now.
She received nicknames from members of the royal family too, apparently. Prince Philip reportedly called Meghan “Duchess of Windsor” (DOW).
Allegedly, this was a reference to Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who married King Edward VII.
And King Charles apparently referred to Meghan as “Tungsten”. Royal author Katie Nicholl said this related to Meghan’s toughness and resilience.
Meghan and Harry’s children – Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – also have nicknames. Meghan has been heard calling her son “Arch” and the couple have referred to Lilibet as “Lili”.
However, her name Meghan in itself is a nickname, as she was born Rachel Meghan Markle. The royal has never explained why she goes by her middle name, but it seems she prefers it.
Other royal family nicknames
Elsewhere, some other members of the monarchy have nicknames.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was known as “Lilibet” among her family. It was a childhood nickname which she called herself as she struggled to pronounce her name as a young child. She was also referred to as “Gan-Gan” by her grand and great-grandchildren.
She was also known as “Granny” to her grandkids. Meanwhile, her husband Prince Philip reportedly called her “Cabbage”.
The late Prince Philip himself was reportedly referred to as P.P., which was used by family, friends and trusted palace staff.
Meanwhile, sisters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have nicknames for each other. Eugenie has often referred to her older sister as “BeaBea”. Eugenie has been given the nickname “Euge” from her family and friends.
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