The bizarre nickname the royal family used for Princess Diana behind closed doors

Calling a royal by their first names requires a certain level of intimacy. Completely abandoning formal code for a more personal, doting address is a different matter entirely. But when you’re part of the inner circle, these privileges become a part of normal family life, ranging from the doting to the distinctly odd. 

Read on to find out how Princess Diana was addressed by the royal inner circle and the sweet tradition of nicknames passed down through the family…

Princess Diana

We may know her most commonly as ‘the People’s Princess’, but the Royal Family used a less formal mode of address in the privacy of their own home. Former royal chef Darren McGrady, author of Eating Royally, revealed that Diana was best known as ‘Duch’, owing to her Duchess-like behaviour as a child. 

The moniker seems to have followed her into adulthood, reportedly being used by close family like Sarah Ferguson and signed on the bottom of a 1986 Christmas card, reading “lots of love from the four of us, Duch and Charles”. 

© Getty Images

Prince Wills and Good King Haz

Fond family nicknames seem to be a firm habit for the royals, with Princess Diana passing the tradition down to her own children. Prince William might be known to the public less formally as Wills, but his mother selected a more unusual nickname for family use: in a 2007 interview, he revealed that his mother used to call him ‘wombat’, dating back to a trip to Australia when the Prince was two.

Harry wasn’t exempt from these sweet traditions, and his mother nicknamed him ‘GKH’, or ‘Good King Harry’. Meghan has likewise shortened her husband’s name, addressing him informally as Haz while the couple spoke to comedian James Cordon – Harry has returned the favour and dubbed his wife ‘Meg’.

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The next generation

Prince William and Princess Kate are rumoured to have nicknamed their oldest child ‘Tips’, after he was dubbed ‘PG’ (‘Prince George’) by friends. It doesn’t get much more British than an heir to the throne being named after a brand of tea! Likewise, Charlotte has found her name shortened in several ways, with Kate revealing to blogger Laura-Ann that she calls the princess ‘Lottie’, while William was heard at RHS Chelsea in 2019 referring to his daughter as ‘Mignonette’. 

In 2023, royal fans were thrilled to discover the Princess of Wales’ name for her youngest child while making s’mores around a fire. As the Princess helped her son put a stick in the fire, she addressed him as ‘Lou-Bugs’ – perhaps one of the royal family’s sweetest monikers!

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Extended family nicknames

Of course, the royals have a long history of nicknames: from Queen Victoria, known as ‘Drina’, a childhood shortening of her first name Alexandrina, to the late Queen, who became known as ‘Lilbet’. 

Princess Beatrice often goes by Bea, but her sister Eugenie has added another layer of endearment, calling her ‘Beabea’ in a post for her sister’s 31st birthday in 2019. Sarah Ferguson, herself known as ‘Fergie’, also shortened the name of her firstborn, calling her ‘Trixie-Belle’.