Prince William’s Childhood Nickname For Queen Elizabeth II Was Humorous And Endearing

Sep 09, 2022

Just like any other family, the royal family has endearing nicknames for almost all members. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter has taken on Queen Elizabeth’s old nickname Lilibet. The name was coined during her childhood and was even still used by her late husband, Prince Philip. Harry and Meghan welcomed baby Lilibet’  Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on June 4, 2021, giving her the name in honor of both the queen and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana of Wales.
However, Lilibet is not Queen Elizabeth’s only nickname. Prince William also had his own endearing nickname for the queen when he was a child. 
On June 21, 1982, Prince William was born to the Prince of Wales and his then-wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, London. Ever since Princess Diana’s passing in Paris, France, in 1997, Prince William had become increasingly close with his grandmother, the queen. As a child, Prince William spent much time with his grandmother, and royal expert Richard Kay has informed news outlets of the nickname that Prince William called Queen Elizabeth as a child. After a young Prince William fell in Buckingham Palace, he called out for his grandmother with an absolutely hilarious nickname that palace guests just couldn’t help but question. 

Prince William’s children also had their own cute nicknames for their late great-grandmother. 
Read on to learn more about Prince William’s sweet nickname for Queen Elizabeth, the story behind it, as well as what the rest of the Cambridge children called their great-grandmother.

Queen Elizabeth and her grandson Prince William became very close through the years, and it is no surprise that a young William had a special nickname for his grandmother. 

“The queen plays a very special dual role in William’s life,” said Katie Nicholl, the author of books such as “The Making of a Royal Romance,” in an April 2021 interview with OK! Magazine “She is his sovereign, but also a very loving grandmother who wants to prepare him for the future.”

According to OK!, the queen began to prepare William for the role of king from a young age, pulling him out of Eton College, his boarding school, every Sunday. At the time, the 13-year-old student would reportedly tell a white lie and say that he was going to the bathroom when, in fact, he would visit Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. OK! further explained that William hid his weekly sessions from his friends because of his modesty. He was preparing to become a king, after all!

“Afterwards, he would have one-on-one time with his grandmother to talk about whatever was on his mind,” Nicholl explained. “She was there for him to unload on — but those sessions were also an opportunity for her to mentor and teach him, as her grandfather, George V, did with her.”

“They became incredibly close and as his respect for her grew he began to embrace his destiny,” Nicholl added.

According to OK! and the royal expert, the queen had a strong bond with her grandchildren in part due to the aftermath of their mother’s death. 

When Princess Diana tragically died in a car crash in Paris, France, in 1997, Elizabeth took special care to look after her grandchildren, William, and Prince Harry. 

“That was one of the few times that the Queen has put family above duty,” Nicholl told OK!. “She made a decision to stay in Scotland, at Balmoral, and be there for William and Harry, rather than come back and address a nation in grief. She was heavily criticised, but she felt her grandsons needed her, and that meant a great deal to them.”

William’s bond with his grandmother only grew stronger as time went on, as Nicholl told OK! Beyond showing up for the major milestones in his life — his graduation from the University of St. Andrews and his parade at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst — she was also supportive of his marriage to Kate Middleton.

Considering their closeness, it makes sense that Prince William would have a special nickname for his late grandmother. According to the Daily Mail’s royal expert, Richard Kay, Prince William once fell over as a child at Buckingham Palace and started crying out, “Gary, Gary.” According to him, a guest then asked about who Gary was, to which the queen replied, “I’m Gary. He hasn’t learned to say Granny yet.”

This nickname is honestly too cute, and William’s children also followed suit in having their own nicknames for the queen. According to Her Magazine, Prince George and Princess Charlotte called their great-grandmother “Gan Gan.” 

Needless to say, the nicknames within families — royal or not — are often too sweet for words to express, not to mention rather hilarious. 

What do you think about Prince William's funny nickname for the late queen? What nicknames exist in your family? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your family!