Why the royals call their fathers ‘Papa’: Centuries-old term has been used by Edward VIII, Charles and now George, Charlotte and Louis for William – but expert says it is a ‘class thing’

For centuries it has been customary for the royal family to call their father’s father ‘Papa’.

11-year-old Princess Elizabeth did it in adorable style when she wrote an account of their 1937 coronation for her mother and father.

King Charles called his father, Prince Philip, “my dearest daddy” after his death in 2021 – and King Edward VIII used the term to refer to George V.

Now, Prince William’s three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – have called their father ‘Daddy’ as they celebrate his 42nd birthday.

The Princess of Wales has released a sweet new portrait of her husband and their children jumping in the air, with the caption: ‘Congratulations Dad, we all love you so much!’

Etiquette expert William Hanson told MailOnline that the use of ‘Dad’ is a ‘class thing’ reflected by members of the aristocracy and upper classes – but added that there may also be an element of tradition that drives this within has maintained the royal family. .

In 1937, Princess Elizabeth called her parents – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – “Mum and Dad” when she wrote them a six-page account of their coronation.

The 11-year-old future queen wrote in red chalk on the first page: “To Mom and Dad,” then said on the line below, “In memory of their coronation.”

She added, “From Lilibet, alone.”

The affectionate term was also used in the other direction.

When Princess Elizabeth and her new husband Prince Philip honeymooned in 1947, King George VI called himself her “devoted daddy.”

He wrote in a letter: “All these years I have watched you grow up with pride under the guidance of Mom, who, as you know, in my eyes is the most wonderful person in the world, and I know, I can always count on her you, and now Philip, to help us in our work… I see that you are extremely happy with Philip, and that is true, but ‘don’t forget us’ is the wish of your ever-loving and devoted Dad.”

Similarly, King Charles often referred to both his parents as “Mom” and “Dad.”

After Prince Philip’s death in April 2021, he told the nation: ‘My dear Dad was a very special person who I think would have been particularly amazed by the reaction and the moving things that have been said about him and from then on moment In our eyes, we, my family, are very grateful for that.’

And after the Queen’s death in September 2022, he used the nicknames for both his parents.

In a video broadcast, he was close to tears as he concluded his message by saying, “And to my dear Mom, as you embark on your last great journey to join my dear late Dad, I simply want to say this: Thank you.

“Thank you for your love and dedication to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May “flights of angels sing to you to your rest.”

Last year, Princess Charlotte showed how she too has adopted royal tradition when she saw her father appear on stage during the Coronation concert in Windsor.

The then eight-year-old shouted to her brother Prince George: ‘Look! There’s dad!’

Mr Hanson said: ‘It is a class issue. But it’s also probably just one of those royal eccentricities that has evolved over time,” he said.

‘Mom and dad are a bit clumsy. We know that the English aristocracy likes names that end in an A sound. Sara, Camilla, Dad. Mom and dad are actually a bit normal.’

He added: “They will have heard it all as completely normal. To be honest, they probably didn’t think about it.

‘The royal family, and the English in general, are not necessarily the ones advocating change.’

For Father’s Day earlier this month, Prince William called Charles “Dad.”

He shared a throwback photo of himself playing football with his father in 1984 and wrote: “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.”

King Edward VIII always referred to his father George V as ‘Dad’ in his correspondence.

In a letter written to his mother, Queen Mary, on the day of his scandalous abdication in 1936, Edward referred to his late “Dad.”

The document was cited by historian Alexander Larman in his 2021 book The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication.

Edward said: ‘I enjoyed our last few minutes together and finally being able to include our dear dad in our conversation.

“We were different in many ways and yet you know how devoted I was to him and I cried when you said he was human.”

In an attempt to defend the constitutional unrest he had caused by choosing to give up the crown so he could marry the divorced Wallis Simpson, Edward again referred to his father.

He told his mother in the same letter: ‘It was a big thing to do, but I know that in the end it will be best for everyone and Bertie will become a king of invention and will be able to carry on without any disruption and will find that I have the To leave the Crown and the Throne as Papa has left it at the same high level which they have maintained for so many centuries.’

Nearly thirty years earlier, in November 1910, when Edward had become heir apparent only months earlier following the death of his grandfather, he opened a letter to his father with the words “Dear Dad.”

After telling him which newspapers he read, he added, “It is so much more interesting for me to follow political events now that I have learned something about the constitution of the country…”

But the use of ‘Dad’ goes back much further than the 20th century.

In 1728, seven-year-old Bonnie Prince Charlie – who famously tried and failed to seize the throne as an adult – called his father “Daddy” when he wrote to him after being told he had upset his mother.

The future royal rebel – grandson of King James II – said: “Dear Dad, thank you very much for your kind letter. I will strive to obey you in all things. I will be very dutiful to Mom and not jump too close to her….”