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Behind palace doors, it’s apparently less “Your Royal Highness” and more “Bobcat.”
A former royal staffer is pulling back the curtain on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s reported WhatsApp 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.
“I remember Princes William and Harry always had the latest phones,” Stooks explained to GB News. “They actually gave their numbers out to staff so we could contact them about logistical things. They also had our numbers, and they would just WhatsApp us if they needed anything.”
PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON’S ‘GENUINE LOVE STORY’ IS BUILT ON BEING A ‘VERY NORMAL FAMILY’: AUTHOR
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales are given a tour by Jamie Jones Buchanan MBE, CEO of the Leeds Rhinos during a visit to AMT Headingley Stadium, the home of the Leeds Rhinos rugby team, where they learned how the club and the Leeds Rhinos Foundation are changing lives through the power of sport, on Sept. 29, 2026 in Leeds, England. Former royal gardener Jack Stooks recently spoke about the alleged WhatsApp nicknames of the British royal family. (James Glossop – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“We couldn’t have them saved under their real names, so they had nicknames instead,” said Stooks. “William was ‘Bobcat’, Harry was ‘Baz’, and when Catherine joined the family, she became ‘Mrs. Bobcat.’”
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.
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales are seen here at the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 in Windsor, England, on July 10, 2026. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“We had the family under different names, so that if anyone’s phone was taken, the number could be differentiated,” he explained. “That way, no one knew which number was which. They all change their numbers regularly, so I don’t have any of their phone numbers now.”
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“The nickname I gave to Harry on my phone was ‘Baz,’” Stooks shared. “He was always called ‘Baz’ by his friends, so I just took that. From memory, William was ‘Wombat,’ again because that is what his friends called him.”
Prince William drives a tractor alongside Catherine, Princess of Wales, during clean-up activities at Ettrick Bay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, on Sept. 17, 2026. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment.
Stooks told GB News that the royal family “are big WhatsApp users.”
Prince William, Prince of Wales, meets well-wishers during a visit to the Millennium Powerhouse, a multi-service youth hub in the Moss Side neighborhood of Manchester, England, on Nov. 16, 2023. (Getty Images)
“He may have a lot of privilege, but William was never one to demand something from staff,” Stooks told the outlet. “He was really polite. He would always check how busy I was before asking me to do errands for him. And whenever I said I would do something for William, he would always reply: ‘You’re a legend.'”
“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. “They’re very much like any other family when it comes to keeping in touch through their phones.”
Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, arrive for a visit to Southport Community Centre in Southport, England, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Getty Images)
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that members of the royal family have long used nicknames. Some are terms of affection, while others have reportedly been used as aliases for privacy or security.
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Prince William, Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay and Catherine, Princess of Wales, known as the Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, smile to well-wishers as they arrive for a visit to Aros Hall, a local community hub on April 29, 2025, in Tobermory, Scotland. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
“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.
“In other words, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,” he said, referring to the Prince and Princess of Wales. “The late queen was always known as Sharon, believe it or not, just for the simple S, which stood for sovereign.”
Prince William, Prince of Wales, smiles as he rides in a boat during a tour of the Guapimirim mangrove area in Guanabara Bay, managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, on Nov. 4, 2025, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Aaron Chown-Pool/Getty Images)
“King Charles and Queen Camilla, do they call themselves that? No,” said Turner. “They call themselves Fred and Gladys. Why? 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. When he started a romance with Queen Camilla, the joke started as well. That’s where Fred and Gladys first started.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla attend the traditional Easter Sunday service at St. George’s Chapel on April 9, 2023, in Windsor. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“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. “Prince Philip used to call the queen Cabbage.”
British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that the name derived from the French “mon petit chou,” or “my little cabbage.”
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, revisit Broadlands in Hampshire to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on Nov. 20, 2007. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
“I believe he also affectionately called her sausage,” Chard added.
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Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour in London on June 13, 2026. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
“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. “The Queen told the surprised guest, ‘I’m Gary. He hasn’t learned to say “Granny” yet.'”
Queen Elizabeth sits with Prince William and Prince Harry in the royal box at Guards Polo Club, Smiths Lawn, Windsor. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Several royal experts noted that at university, William was known as “Steve” in an attempt to fly under the radar.
Prince William stands at Eton College in Eton, United Kingdom, wearing a waistcoat as a member of the elite society group called “Pop.” (Tim Graham/Photo Library via Getty Images)
One of the royal family’s best-known nicknames is “Lilibet.” Then-Princess Elizabeth struggled to pronounce her own name as a toddler, and her grandfather, King George V, reportedly imitated her pronunciation. Her husband, Prince Philip, also affectionately called her “Lilibet,” and the name was later chosen by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for their daughter, Princess Lilibet.
But not all royal nicknames were affectionate.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry attend the annual Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 18, 2015, in London, England. (Julian Simmonds – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
“Courtiers have long referred to Prince Harry and the former Prince Andrew, as the ‘Dukes of Hazard,’ which needs no explanation,” said Fordwich.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, attend the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025, in London, England. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
“When Kate is getting a little bit upset with William in any way, she starts using the names of ‘Baldy’ and ‘Big Willy,'” Turner alleged, a claim previously made by author Tom Quinn. A Kensington Palace spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that the palace doesn’t comment on books.
King Charles has reportedly used other terms of affection for Queen Camilla.
Queen Camilla hosts a reception at Clarence House in London, England, to mark 40 years of the Royal Osteoporosis Society on July 15, 2026. (Aaron Chown/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“Back in 2022, the king was heard at an event referring to Camilla as ‘Mehbooba,’ the Urdu word for ‘my beloved,'” said Fordwich.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend a service at Crathie Kirk Church on Aug. 23, 2026, in Crathie, Aberdeenshire. (Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Charles has publicly used the term for Camilla. While still Prince of Wales, he referred to her as “my mehbooba” during a British Asian Trust speech.
“Princess Diana’s family always referred to her as ‘Dutch,’ short for ‘Duchess.’ She wasn’t an actual duchess, but her family gave it to her as she had always behaved that way as a young girl. Her nickname for her brother, Charles Spencer, was ‘Carlos,'” Fordwich said.
Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, attends a reception celebrating the “Diana: A Celebration” exhibit at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 1, 2009. (Getty Images)
Charles Spencer has also spoken about the siblings’ nicknames. In a September interview, he said their stepfather began calling Diana “the Duchess” because she had a “very refined air,” which the family shortened to “Dutch.” Spencer also said Diana called him “Carlos.”
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in 1997. She was 36. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Stooks told GB News that these days, it would be difficult to know what name the king uses, if any, on WhatsApp.
Prince George of Wales and King Charles III watch an RAF flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023, in London. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“The king didn’t really use technology at all when I worked there,” he said. “He used to have a very old-fashioned, basic mobile phone, but he never used it. I remember William and Harry trying to get him to keep up to date with it. They were always encouraging him to use his phone, but he wasn’t interested. He wasn’t a fan at all.”
