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According to royal biographer and author Robert Jobson, the Prince and Princess of Wales had a nickname for their son before his triumphant arrival in 2013. Jobson detailed Middleton’s pregnancy in his book, The New Royal Family, and he explained that before there was PG Tips.
Writing about William taking paternity leave from the Royal Air Force, Jobson compared it to then-Prince Charles raising eyebrows when he also took time off to be with his wife after the arrival of his kids.
“Prince Charles was considered progressive to want to be at his wife’s side,” Jobson wrote. “Like his father, William had followed modern convention by taking two weeks’ paternity leave from the RAF to bond with the baby they have nicknamed ‘our little grape.'”
Before George’s arrival, Middleton was last seen at the 2013 Trooping the Colour on June 15 and Jobson noted that shortly after that big event, William also took time off.
“The next time we would see her [Kate]—officially at least—would be on the hospital steps with her new baby in her arms and proud husband at her side,” Jobson continued. “There is no doubt the birth of her baby would be her biggest test to date, and, indeed, it would be a crowning moment.”
Nicknames within the royal circle are a big deal—and can have a ripple effect. Queen Elizabeth was often called Lilibet, which is the name Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose for their daughter. George’s sister, Charlotte, goes by Lottie at home, according to The Mirror, and it was recently revealed that Middleton calls her youngest son, Louis, Lou Bug. As for William, he shared in 2007 that his mother, Princess Diana, would call him Wombat.
“It began when I was 2. I’ve been rightfully told because I can’t remember back that far,” he told Matt Lauer. “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?!”
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