Like everyone else, the British royals enjoy family moments, spend time with friends and warm up to cute nicknames. They’re humans, after all.
The birth of Meghan Markle’s daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, let the world in on the reality that members of the royal family also have nicknames.
Following the newborn’s birth, the Sussex royals disclosed that their daughter’s name was a nod at two important women in the royal household: Queen Elizabeth II and the late Princess Diana.
While one could easily link the newborn’s moniker to Princess Diana, it required more careful consideration to decipher how her first name came about.
Aside from Lilibet, one of Queen Elizabeth’s childhood nicks which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex adopted following the birth of their daughter, here are ten royal family nicknames no one could have guessed.
1. FRED AND GLADYS
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, two of the older members of the royal family, surprisingly have cute nicknames for each other. In the fourth season of the crown, viewers observed Charles’ character addressing Camilla as Gladys. The Duchess of Cornwall ‘s character, in turn addressed him as “Fred.”
They adopted the nicks when they dated in their twenties. Interestingly, they coined the monikers from characters in BBC radios “The Goon Show.”
2. SQUEAK
Growing up, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, had her fair share of nicknames. Topping the list of those nicks was “Squeak.”
During a visit to her alma mater, St. Andrew’s School, Berkshire, Middleton explained how the name came about. She described how she had two guinea pigs, Pip and Squeak.
Since her sister’s name, Pippa, sounded synonymous with “Pip,” their schoolmates thought it wise to call her “Squeak” after the second guinea pig. And the name stuck.
Coincidentally, as a popular kid in senior school, the nickname quickly faded away and was replaced by “Princess-in-waiting,” long before anyone knew she would someday become a royal.
3. ARCH
Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, was not spared from landing a nickname. The Duchess of Sussex let the little boy’s nickname slip during his first birthday in May 2020.
In a video promoting the Save the Children’s “Save With Stories” campaign, the “Suits” alum sweetly called her son “Arch” as she urged him to turn the pages of a book.
4. LOTTIE
The ever gracious and charismatic Princess Charlotte has an adorable nickname within the family. While on a visit to Windsor Park Stadium, Middleton chatted with mummy blogger Laura-Ann.
Via Instagram stories, Laura-Ann later revealed the Duchess referred to her daughter, Charlotte, as Lottie during their conversation.
5. BEABEA
While most family and friends call her “Bea,” Princess Beatrice’s younger sister, Princess Eugenie, addresses her with a more charming nickname.
In a special post from August 2019 to celebrate Beatrice’s 31st birthday, Eugenie paid tribute to her big sis with a string of photos. She accompanied the shots with a sweet message, in which she referred to her big sis as “BeaBea.”
6. WOMBAT
Before Princess Diana’s death, she had an unusual nickname for her oldest son, Prince William, which she adopted when he was two.
The Duke of Cambridge once explained how the late princess embraced the moniker, Wombat, following a trip to Australia. A local animal, the Wombat, accompanied them on the said family trip, and the princess took a liking to the name, quickly bestowing it on her son.
7. FLOWER
To Prince Harry and most of Meghan Markle’s closest pals, Meg was an ideal nickname for the beautiful mother-of-two. However, the Duchess’ mom has a more befitting nickname for her priceless daughter.
The star once revealed via her former Instagram account that her mom always called her flower right from her days as a little girl. As for her dad, Thomas Markle, he stuck to calling her Bean, which could be cute when pronounced with the right tempo.
8. CABBAGE
If “Tillabet,” and “Lilibet,” didn’t quite cut it for the Queen of England, the late Prince Phillip’s nickname for his soulmate did just that. In the 2006 film “The Queen,” the character portraying the Duke of Edinburgh notably addressed his wife by the endearing pet name, “Cabbage.”
9. EUGE
Princess Eugenie’s older sister, Princess Beatrice, called her baby sis by the nickname Euge during an interview ahead of Eugenie’s wedding. Their mom, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, takes the pet name a notch further, addressing her youngest daughter as “Eugie.”
10. POTTER
Deciphering which royal earned the nickname Potter, a nod at the lead character in the “Harry Potter” franchise, is no rocket science. Among his pals, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is known as Potter, a nick the royal family frowns upon.
Canadian Journalist Lisa LaFlamme recounted how the palace PR strived to sweep that cute information under the carpet following a meeting with Harry at Kensington Palace. Better to stick with “H” or “Haz,” as his wife fondly calls him.
Some of these nicknames may be shocking, but that does not make them any less adorable, as they somehow portray the royal family in a new light.