The royals might seem prim and proper in public, but behind palace doors, they live an informal, and often deliberately silly life. That seemingly includes exchanging comical Christmas gifts and embracing ridiculous nicknames amongst themselves.
It’s King Charles who appears to be the major source of these nicknames, reportedly referring to himself and Queen Camilla as “Fred and Gladys” from The Goon Show.
Royal author Robert Jobson, in his latest biography on Catherine, Princess of Wales, also revealed a nickname given to former rugby player Mike Tindall. Rugged-looking Mike, married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Phillips, is “affectionately” nicknamed “Shrek” by some in the royal circle, including the King.
These playful nicknames aren’t just for laughs, they sometimes come in handy. Back in the day, Prince Harry was called “Spike” by his mates, which he used as an undercover online nickname when exploring the world of social media.
Even William, Harry’s elder brother, has a Diana-endowed nickname that has clung to him through the years. Despite his attempts to shake it, “Wombat” has been his tag since a trip down under at the tender age of two. He shared with NBC in 2007: “I can’t get rid of it now.”
He insists that it’s not because he looks like a wombat, as far as he knows. And Prince George, the 11-year-old future king, has already earned himself a nickname.
His schoolmates refer to him as “PG”, according to a parent from his former school in Battersea who told Vanity Fair: “George is really happy at school, his nickname is P.G. He’s very popular and has lots of friends, and there’s very little fuss made about who he is.”
The late Queen’s childhood nickname, Lilibet, made headlines when Harry and Meghan chose it for their daughter’s first name. However, she had several other nicknames, including Cabbage, Gan-Gan, and perhaps the most unusual, Gary.
Prince Philip affectionately called his wife of 73 years “Cabbage”, while young great-grandson Prince George came up with “Gan-Gan.”
Interestingly, it was William who coined the Queen’s strangest pet name. The Daily Mail reports that as a toddler, William struggled to pronounce the word grandma. He explained: “A guest who went to help asked who Gary was, assuming it must be a member of the royal household. ‘I’m Gary,’ responded Elizabeth. ‘He hasn’t learned to say Granny yet.'”.
