Long before Prince William was meeting with international leaders and parenting three kids, he was just another mischievous toddler with a wobbly grasp of the English language—and he even coined a silly nickname for Queen Elizabeth.
It seems little William couldn’t get the sound of “Granny” right, and according to a story shared by the Daily Mail, one particular moment had the palace staff doing double-takes.
Per the publication, “The Queen was on hand after William fell over at Buckingham Palace, bawling: ‘Gary, Gary.’ A guest who went to help asked who Gary was, assuming it must be a member of the royal household.” Enter Queen Elizabeth, who proclaimed, “I’m Gary.” After picking her grandson up, the late monarch apparently explained, “He hasn’t learned to say Granny yet.”
And while Prince Louis is known for his hijinks these days, it turns out his dad could’ve given the young royal a run for his money as a child growing up in the ’80s.
“Gary” is seen with a young Prince William and Prince Harry in 1987.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth ended up chasing Prince William as they stood with guests after Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s wedding.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Daily Mail’s Richard Kay noted that “William was boisterous and full of beans” as a toddler. The 2-year-old royal was “full of mischief” and enjoyed one particular “party trick,” which entailed “flushing his footwear into the Kensington Palace nursery lavatory.”
It seems young William also had “an unhealthy interest in the alarms that protected the royal homes” and before his second birthday even took place, somehow managed to set off “a panic button at Balmoral that sent police racing to the Scottish castle.”
As for “Gary,” the late Queen’s nickname joins a host of other adorable royal monikers. Prince William was known as “Wombat” as a child, Princess Charlotte has been called “Mignonette” by her dad, and Prince George is reportedly known as “PG” or “PG Tips” by his school pals, after both Prince George and the popular tea brand.
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