Prince Philip’s nickname only his nearest and dearest could call him

Prince Philip had a nickname only a select few friends and members of royal staff were allowed to call him.

From ‘Lillibet’ to ‘Grandpa Wales’, members of the Royal Family are known to go by many nicknames.

Which is unsurprising as the Royals are surrounded by formal titles in their day-to-day life. 

But while some nicknames are used universally by them  – such as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s pet name Lillibet – the right to use some of the names has to be earnt. 

Indeed, there was one term of endearment for the late Prince Philip that only a number of people within the household were allowed to use. 

According to royal author Adrian Tinniswood, the Duke of Edinburgh was known by the acronym ‘P.P’ – short for Prince Philip.

Over Philip’s decades-long period of service the Duke was reportedly always the most popular among palace staff.

In 2018, Matt Smith, who was one actor who played the Duke of Edinburgh in hit Netflix series The Crown, claimed Philip was ‘the one they all love’ because he is a ‘man of the people’.

The star also suggested ‘royal protocol’ had not ‘dogged’ Prince Philip in the same way that it had other members of the family.  

Speaking in an interview with Variety, Matt said: ‘All the research I did found him [Prince Philip] to be brilliantly funny, very clever, very popular.

‘In the royal house he’s the most popular of all of them. If you’ve talked to any of the staff, Philip’s the one they all love really. I think more than a lot of them, he’s a bit more of a man of the people.

‘The royal protocol hasn’t dogged him in quite the same way his whole life and there’s a sort of rebellion in him and a naughtiness and a cheekiness.

‘I think he’s quite affable and open by all accounts with the staff. They all love him.’

Upon his death in April 2021, Philip showed his gratitude towards his closest aides when the Duke included three members of staff in his will.

Philip is thought to have rewarded his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell and pages William Henderson and Stephen Niedojadlo. 

The trio were among a group of six aides who walked behind senior Royal Family members and Philip’s coffin for his funeral procession at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021.

There are numerous other pet names that the royals have for one another. 

Philip lovingly referred to Elizabeth as ‘Cabbage’ which refers to the French phrase ‘mon petit chou’. In its literal translation, it means ‘my little cabbage’ but the French idiom is a way of saying ‘my darling’. 

Prince George calls his grandfather – King Charles III – ‘Grandpa Wales’. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla are known to refer to each other as ‘Fred and Gladys’. The nicknames reportedly come from BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show. 

Prince William was known as ‘Wombat’ by his mother Princess Diana. Speaking in an interview in 2007, he revealed that the name had ‘stuck’ with him ever since he had joined his mother and father on a tour of Australia when he was still a baby. 

The most bizarre nickname was reserved for Meghan with the then Prince Charles, christening the Duchess of Sussex ‘Tungsten’ because she is ‘tough’ and ‘unbending’.

While it might not appear like the most flattering of comparisons to be named after a type of metal, Charles intended it to be a compliment, and it stuck. 

The royals have long called each other by nicknames privately, and the affectionate dubbing was reportedly a way for Charles, 76, to welcome Meghan, 43, into the family.

She was used to using nicknames already. Meghan wasn’t even her real first name after all – it was actually Rachel – but she more commonly used her middle name,  going by Meg.

‘Tungsten’ was first used by Charles in the early days of Harry and Meghan’s life as working royals, according to The Mail On Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths in June 2018.

A Palace source told her: ‘Prince Charles admires Meghan for her strength and the backbone she gives Harry, who needs a tungsten-type figure in his life as he can be a bit of a softy. It’s become a term of endearment.’

Tungsten is a metal that can be found on the periodic table and is known for its high melting point and core strength.

It is the strongest naturally occurring metal on the planet, so the name was regarded at the time as touching praise.