The Prince of Wales’ moving speech at the coronation concert revealed the sweet – if not antiquated – nicknames he and his father the king have been called by their respective children.
When Prince William took the stage to pay tribute to the King after a smashing performance by Charles’ close friend Lionel Richie, Princess Charlotte saw her father on stage – and gave the affectionate speech.
According to lip reader Jacqui Press, the eight-year-old royal apparently said, “Look! There’s Daddy,” when he notices the Prince of Wales crossing the platform to deliver his speech.
Charlotte gestured to Prince William as she turned to her brother Prince George to make sure he was watching their father’s big moment.
And a little later, Prince William shared his own pet name for his father – yet another name that could be considered old-fashioned if used by members of a different social class.
Princess Charlotte apparently said, “Look! There is [Papa],’ as he noticed the Prince of Wales making his way across the platform to deliver his speech at tonight’s music extravaganza, according to lip reader Jacqui Press
Prince William paid a touching tribute to his father, telling him: ‘Dad, we are all so proud of you’
Despite the formality of the moment, the 40-year-old royal referred to his father in more relaxed terms, highlighting the close relationship between father and son.
He said to him, “Dad, we are all so proud of you.”
The term ‘dad’ is believed to have been used by both Prince William and Prince Harry to address their father – even during their childhood.
William also told King Charles that he had no doubt that the late Queen Elizabeth, his “very proud mother,” would look down “lovingly” from heaven.
While mere mortals in British society may use “mum and dad” to refer to their parents, the upper classes and blue-blooded royalty often refer to their parents as “mum and dad” – with “papa” and “pa”, and ” ma’ma’ also often used.
Indeed, the king often referred to his mother, the late queen, as ‘mummy’ or ‘ma’ma’.
In his first speech to the nation after her death on September 8, 2022, the King said of his late mother: “To my dear mama, thank you, thank you,” while praising Elizabeth II as an “inspiration and an example to me and all my family.”
The moment offered an insight into how names like ‘Dad’ and ‘Papa’ are still used by the upper classes and royalty
When Prince Philip died aged 99 in April 2021, the King also used the term ‘Daddy’ to mourn his father, and in his speech after the Queen’s death he said again: ‘And to my dear Mummy, as you go on your last wonderful journey to join my dear, late daddy, I just want to say this: thank you.”
Aside from the more traditional maternal and paternal monikers, the royals have revealed a variety of nicknames over the decades that have been used for each other.
Prince William revealed to NBC in 2007 that he was referred to as a younger “wombat” during a trip to Australia.
Stand up Gladys and Fred! It’s not clear if these nicknames have stood the test of time, but apparently Charles and Camilla called each other Gladys and Fred, inspired by “The Goon Show,” which ran on BBC radio from the 1950s to the 1970s.
He told the channel’s Matt Lauer: ‘When we went to Australia with our parents, and the wombat, that’s the local animal. So that’s basically what I was called. Not because I look like a wombat, or maybe I do.’
And more recently, one of the greatest revelations to come out of Harry’s telling memoir Spare was how the now feuding brothers addressed each other, with Harry revealing that the siblings called each other ‘Willy’ and ‘Harold’.
Harry’s nickname for William popped up in the book just before the pair “argued” and William went to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Harry said, “Willy, I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
And the king and queen? Fans of the Crown may remember scenes where Charles called Camilla “Gladys” and Camilla called Charles “Fred.”
These pet names are believed to have been inspired by ‘The Goon Show’ on BBC radio and apparently predate Charles’ relationship with Diana, as the couple used them in their early twenties. It is not clear whether the nicknames have stood the test of time.