How Queen Elizabeth Got the Nickname 'Gary'

Stacey Leasca
Updated
Queen Elizabeth’s tongue-twisting real title may be Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, but her family has something much shorter for...

Queen Elizabeth’s tongue-twisting real title may be Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, but her family has something much shorter for her to go by: Gary.

Sure, both Prince William and Prince Harry have fondly called Queen Elizabeth "Granny" during public interviews, but it turns out the royal family has more than one sweet nickname for their matriarch.

According to Richard Kay, a high society gossip reporter for the Daily Mail, Prince William once fell down inside Kensington Palace as a child and called out for "Gary." When a member of the household staff asked who William was asking for, the Queen reportedly responded, "I’m Gary" as she picked him up to comfort him.

Related: Prince Philip's Full Royal Title Is 133 Words Long

You see, like many children, William had yet to master the word “Grandma,” so “Gary” was born.

Now, a new name is also emerging for her majesty. According to PopSugar, William’s son, Prince George, has taken to calling Queen Elizabeth “Gan Gan.” However, the adorable prince didn’t make up the name himself. According to American biographer Kitty Kelley, "Gan Gan" was first adopted by Prince Charles to refer to his great-grandmother Queen Mary, the mother of Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI. Prince William and Prince Harry also called their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, "Gan-Gan" until her death in 2002. So really, little Prince George is just following yet another royal tradition.

Of course, the Queen isn’t the only member of the royal family to have a fun pet name. When Prince George was presented to the world at the steps of St. Mary’s Hospital in London, Prince William let his nickname for his wife, Kate Middleton, slip. There, he called her “Poppet,” Grazia reported.

And in 2016, Kate returned the favor by calling him “Babe” during an interview with Channel 9's Today Show. So there you have it, the royals really are just like the rest of us.