Did you grow up in a household where nicknames were the norm? Maybe you earned one in the neighborhood and it just stuck, riding along with you into adulthood. Some fit, some are funny, and some seem bizarrely random.

If you could be a fly on the wall in one of the British royal family’s many estates, you might be surprised to hear them refer to one another using nicknames. The public sees primness, curtsies, and etiquette in action, yet save for a little PDA here and there, not much is shared about how these folks relax. But using cutesy names is one way they make life a little more “normal”!

We know about Prince William calling his grandmother Gary when he was a child, but how about some of the other ones? Here are a few of the names the royals have been known to answer to in their lives:

1. Fred

   An affectionate pet name given to Prince Charles by Camilla, Fred is only one half of this pair. Like other dynamic duos, his counterpart is “Gladys”, Camilla’s matching moniker. They’ve been going by Fred and Gladys since before their affair was revealed.

2. Spike Wells

   Harry is just one of the nicknames for the newly-appointed Duke of Sussex. When he was young, Prince Harry secretly set up a Facebook account under the name “Spike Wells”, which was shut down by the royal security team when it was found out.

   When Princess Diana was alive, she would sometimes call him “Ginger” for obvious reasons. And it’s easy to forget, but “Harry” is actually a common English nickname for his true legal name: Henry.

3. Tillabet

   If you guessed this one belongs to Queen Elizabeth, you are correct! When she was a little princess, she gave herself the name but it’s since been upgraded by those close to her to “Lilibet”.

   While her grandchildren and great-grandchildren call her granny or “gan-gan”, rumor has it that the Queen is also affectionately called “Cabbage” by Prince Philip.

4. Wombat

   Prince William shared that his mother bestowed this odd name upon him after a visit to Australia. He’s not sure why she chose that one, but it’s stayed with him throughout his life.

   His other name? Steve. Apparently, the Duke of Cambridge used it as an alias when he was a college student at St. Andrew’s University.

5. PG

   PG isn’t a rating, but the nickname for Prince George. Family has kept it playful up by changing it to PG Tips, after the UK tea brand, sometimes calling him “Tips”.

6. Poppet

   You don’t get to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showing much PDA, but they do have sweet names for each other. Prince William has been heard calling Kate Middleton “poppet”, as well as baby and darling. She’s also been heard calling her hubby “babe” from time to time.

We’ve yet to hear about charming names for Meghan Markle, Princess Charlotte, or baby Prince Louis, but we think it would be a good idea to let the royal children choose them. Your thoughts?

How many nicknames or pet names do you have in your family? Did you know the royal family rolled with nicknames? Which one of theirs strikes you as the silliest or cutest?

Source:
PopSugar