Prince William used to have the most hilarious nickname for the Queen

We genuinely could never have predicted this one…

The Queen is a woman of many names, addressed in formal settings as ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Ma’am’. In private she’s been Lizzie, Liz, even Shirley Temple - an affectionate nickname by King Edward.

One of her most common names, however, is said to be ‘Granny’ a nickname used by Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and a lot of the rest of the royal family.

Columnist Richard Kay recently revealed however that unlike his cousins, Prince William used a different (and very special) name for his grandmother, and it’s hilarious.

Recalling a moment from William’s childhood, Kay wrote in an article for the Daily Mail:

‘After a fall at Buckingham Palace, the Prince cried out for “Gary, Gary.” When a guest asked who Gary was, the Queen stepped in and explained: “I’m Gary. He hasn’t learned to say Granny yet.”’

We wish more than anything that the nickname had stuck, passed down to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to keep up the tradition, but according to the Duchess of Cambridge, her children have their own nickname for their great-grandmother, calling her ‘Gan-Gan’.

The Duchess of Cambridge has previously spoken about what a loving great-grandmother the Queen is, explaining in the ITV documentary, Our Queen at 90, ‘the Queen is very fond of Charlotte and takes an interest in what she gets up to. Every time we stay with her, she leaves a little gift for George and Charlotte in their rooms. I think that just goes to show her love for [the children] and for the family.’

Prince William also can’t sing his grandmother’s (or Gary’s) praises enough, stating, ‘She’s been a very strong female influence and having lost my mother at a young age, it’s been particularly important to me that I’ve had somebody like the Queen to look up to.

He continued: ‘[She’s someone] who’s been there and who has understood some of the more, um, complex issues when you lose a loved one. She’s been so incredibly supportive and I really appreciated her guidance.’

We just hope more than anything that Prince William still calls The Queen 'Gary' from time to time.