We know him as Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge or simply just Will. But as it turns out, he has another moniker bestowed on him by his late mother.
Yup, the Duke of Cambridge had the adorable childhood nickname “Wombat,” which was given to him by his mom, Princess Diana. In a 2007 interview with NBC, William admitted the name has stuck with him over the years. “I can’t get rid of it now,” he said. “It began when I was two. I’ve been rightfully told because I can’t remember back that far, but when we went to Australia with our parents, and the wombat, you know, that’s the local animal, so I just basically got called that, not because I look like a wombat, or maybe I do.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the animal (like we were), Wombats are short-legged, muscular marsupials that are native to Australia (they look like a cross between a bear, a pig and a gopher). So no, Prince William, you definitely don’t look like one.
Wombat isn’t the only family nickname the royals use behind closed palace doors, according to Kate Middleton. While speaking with a few attendees of the Leicester football stadium tribute honoring the tragic helicopter crash in 2018, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that Prince George, 6, and Princess Charlotte, 5, have a sweet nickname for their ol’ man: “Pops.”
