What name did you call your grandmother when you were growing up? Did you go the traditional route with “Grandma”, or maybe “Nana?” Or did you mix things up with “Meemaw” or “Gran?” No matter how you referred to her, we bet she was just happy to be experiencing the adoration of a sweet grandchild. Grandmas live for it—trust us!
One of the most famous grandmothers—and great-grandmothers for that matter!—in the world is her royal highness herself, Queen Elizabeth II. The reigning royal has an impressive 13 grandchildren and great-grandchildren to her name, an accomplishment any 91-year-old would be proud of.
Sources close to the Royal Family claim that she is tight with each and every one of her “little royals”— so tight, in fact, she even forgives them when they don’t call her by her royal title.
In an ITV documentary celebrating Elizabeth’s 90th birthday, notable royals Prince William and Duchess Kate let us in on how their family broaches the unusual task of what name to call the Queen.
For the close-knit Royal Family, calling her by “Your Highness” must be a tad too formal because, even to this very day, Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry refer to their grandmother as, simply, “Granny.”
This adorable nickname was confirmed on the first night of the 2012 London Olympics when the Queen made her surprise appearance in the Opening Ceremony alongside the dashing Daniel Craig.
While her image was being projected in front of an audience of billions, cameras panned to William and Harry in the crowd. The two could be heard screaming in unison “Go Granny!”, pleasantries that seemed shockingly casual to the commoners watching at home.
That said, the Queen’s offspring have made it clear time and time again that they consider the powerful royal to be just another family member. In a 2012 interview with Katie Couric, Prince William claimed that, despite her royal status, he considers Elizabeth II to be “just [his] grandmother.”
Apparently, things have always been fairly comfortable between the two because when Prince William was a child, he actually referred to his grandmother as “Gary.” Weird, right?
We’d think that she wouldn’t appreciate being called by a man’s name, but it turns out that it took a little while for Will to master the word “Granny,” so he just went with “Gary” instead. Close enough!
Like his dad, Prince George is having an equally hard time mastering his “r” sounds. Duchess Kate says that the little prince calls the Queen, simply, “Gan Gan.”
Aww, you’ll get there one day, George!
It’s nice to know that even the Queen isn’t too fussy when it comes to nicknames. Talk about an awesome grandmother—or “Granny”, if you will.
We’d love to hear your take on this royal’s sweet monikers! Were you surprised to hear that the Queen is cool with her grandchildren dropping her title? What did you call your grandparents when you were a child? What do your grandchildren call you?