A former royal staffer is pulling back the curtain on Prince William and Kate Middleton's reported WhatsApp nicknames.
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staffer → pull → nicknames
Jack Stooks, who worked for King Charles for 21 years as a gardener at Highgrove, shared a rare glimpse into how members of the royal family reportedly identified one another on the messaging app.
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members → work → app
"I remember Princes William and Harry always had the latest phones," Stooks explained to GB News.
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Stooks → remember → News
"They actually gave their numbers out to staff so we could contact them about logistical things.
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we → give → things
They also had our numbers, and they would just WhatsApp us if they needed anything."
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they → have → anything
"We couldn't have them saved under their real names, so they had nicknames instead," said Stooks.
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Stooks → have → nicknames
"William was 'Bobcat', Harry was 'Baz', and when Catherine joined the family, she became ‘Mrs. Bobcat.’
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she → join → family
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Stooks told Fox News Digital on behalf of OLBG that only a limited number of staff were given the royals' phone numbers, which had to be kept a closely guarded secret.
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which → tell → numbers
"We had the family under different names, so that if anyone's phone was taken, the number could be differentiated," he explained.
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he → have → names
"That way, no one knew which number was which.
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number → know → ?
They all change their numbers regularly, so I don't have any of their phone numbers now.
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I → change → numbers
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WATCH: ROYAL FAMILY'S CHEEKY NICKNAMES FOR EACH OTHER REVEALED
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NICKNAMES → watch → OTHER
The nickname I gave to Harry on my phone was ‘Baz,’" Stooks shared.
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Stooks → give → phone
"He was always called ‘Baz’ by his friends, so I just took that.
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I → call → that
From memory, William was ‘Wombat,’ again because that is what his friends called him."
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friends → call → him
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment.
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Digital → reach → comment
Stooks told GB News that the royal family "are big WhatsApp users."
"He may have a lot of privilege, but William was never one to demand something from staff," Stooks told the outlet.
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Stooks → tell → outlet
He would always check how busy I was before asking me to do errands for him.
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I → check → him
And whenever I said I would do something for William, he would always reply: 'You're a legend.'
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You → say → William
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"They have groups with their friends, and there is also a family group with the royal cousins, including Prince William, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips and the York sisters," he continued.
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he → have → William
"They're very much like any other family when it comes to keeping in touch through their phones."
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it → come → phones
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that members of the royal family have long used nicknames.
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members → tell → nicknames
Some are terms of affection, while others have reportedly been used as aliases for privacy or security.
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others → use → privacy
"When they had a security issue, William and Kate are known as Danny Collins and Daphne Clark, DC," royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.
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Turner → have → Digital
"In other words, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," he said, referring to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
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he → say → Wales
"The late queen was always known as Sharon, believe it or not, just for the simple S, which stood for sovereign."
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which → know → sovereign
"King Charles and Queen Camilla, do they call themselves that?
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they → call → ?
No," said Turner.
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Turner → say → ?
"They call themselves Fred and Gladys.
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They → call → themselves
Because in the 1950s and 1960s, Prince Charles used to listen to a radio show each week called 'The Goon Show,' which was a comedy show where Fred and Gladys were called.
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Fred → use → show
When he started a romance with Queen Camilla, the joke started as well.
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joke → start → Camilla
That's where Fred and Gladys first started.
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Fred → start → ?
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"And then you would think, why on earth would the queen, Elizabeth that is, be called any other nickname other than Your Majesty?" he said.
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he → think → Majesty
"Prince Philip used to call the queen Cabbage."
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Philip → use → queen
British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that the name derived from the French "mon petit chou," or "my little cabbage."
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name → tell → chou
"I believe he also affectionately called her sausage," Chard added.
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Chard → believe → her
"When Prince William, as a little boy, fell at Buckingham Palace, he was overheard by a guest crying out, 'Gary! Gary!’" said British royals expert Hilary Fordwich.
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Fordwich → fall → Gary
"The Queen told the surprised guest, 'I'm Gary.
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I → tell → guest
He hasn't learned to say "Granny" yet.'
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He → learn → Granny
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Several royal experts noted that at university, William was known as "Steve" in an attempt to fly under the radar.
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William → note → radar
…and 21 more, not listed.