The Queen By Any Other Name... Quiz

Answer: Gan-Gan

Princess Kate revealed in a 2016 interview that the then young Prince George called his great-grandmother "Gan-Gan", and that Princess Charlotte did as well. Is there any doubt that Prince Louis also used the endearing nickname? Kate went on to say that The Queen was so loving to the children, always leaving a small gift in the children's room when they visited.

According to an article in "The Express", a pamphlet written for Charles III's investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969 stated that he also used the nickname for his grandmother, Queen Mary.

Answer: Ma'am

Of course, this is a name that was used by many people to address The Queen. The website, "royal.uk" still states that after a person has been presented to The Queen, the correct way to address her is "Your Majesty", but any further name used during the interaction is "Ma'am, pronounced with a short 'a' as in 'jam'".

A special nod is given to Paddington Bear because of the adorable skit with The Queen that was shown during her Platinum Jubilee, where Paddington said, "Happy Jubilee, Ma'am...", and his condolence message, "Thank you Ma'am, for everything".

Answer: The Boss

Although Diana used the same name for The Queen as the other children, a letter that she wrote in 1995 used another. The note was addressed to a Mr. Bramble, who, at the time, was the Lord High Sheriff of Westminster. She must have feared that she made him late for a meeting with The Queen. "I just hope your arrival at Westminster Abbey was before the Boss (The Queen)...."

The letter was sold in 2021 at auction after it was discovered with some other correspondence belonging to the late Mr. Bramble by a member of his family. A total of 36 letters written by The Princess to Mr. Bramble were found, and together they sold for £82,000, which was then donated to a variety of charities.

Answer: Sharon

When I discovered this information I was shocked! Had I found some secret tidbit not meant for public eyes? It turns out that this is all over the internet, and, in all probability, I was the last of many to know!

Security guards apparently have code names for everyone they guard, something that does make sense, and The Queen's was "Sharon" or simply "S" when she was seen in public. This information was apparently leaked from a royal aide back in 2019. There was no explanation for the use of "Sharon", but it was said that "S" stood for "Sovereign". I did also find that when the British media practiced drills associated with the proper procedure to take when The Queen passed away, her code name was "Mrs. Robinson".

Answer: Grannie

The name "Granny or Grannie" was used publicly by many of The Queen's grandchildren, but the nod goes to the York sisters because of their very recent statement, "...We're so happy that you're back with Grandpa. Goodbye dear Grannie...."

Princess Eugenie also used the endearing name when she spoke of her grandmother's love for Balmoral back in 2016, "I think Granny is the most happy there". Prince Harry publicly used the name many times, but also included it in his tribute to The Queen on September 12, 2022, "Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings...."

And who could ever forget Prince William and Prince Henry's reactions at the 2012 Olympics when Queen Elizabeth II "appeared" at the stadium with James Bond in an unforgettable skit? Together they shouted, "Go, Granny!"

Answer: Mama

This name has been used by The Queen's children, as well as their spouses. While I have always seen it written in the English spelling, Charles III used more of a French pronunciation for the name, and for Papa, which he called his father. This is not surprising, however, considering that The Queen spoke fluid French, she may have liked the name said that way.

In a televised statement the new King opened with, "...Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen, my beloved mother, was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family...." He ended, however, with "...And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: Thank you...."

Answer: Gary

The story about two-year-old Prince William calling The Queen "Gary" has been around for years. According to the "Daily Mail", a writer, Richard Kay, was present at Buckingham Palace for some sort of reception for Queen Elizabeth II, who was accompanied by other family members. William, described as "full of beans", took a fall and cried out, "Gary, Gary". No one knew who Gary was until The Queen said, "I'm Gary.

He hasn't learned to say granny yet".

Answer: Cabbage

This is a difficult one to research because it, of course, was used privately and not explained by the couple, although people who knew them more intimately corroborated the story that the name was used. It is believed that the nickname was derived somehow from the French "mon petit chou", which translates as "my darling". Literally, however, the phrase can be translated from "chou à la crème" to mean "my little pastry puff".

In its shortened form "chou" translates to "cabbage".

Answer: Lilibet

Over the years there has been quite a bit written about The Queen's nickname, one that she gave to herself, as she apparently had trouble saying Elizabeth. It was a name used by her grandparents, George V and Queen Mary, parents, George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, sister, Margaret, and husband, Philip. While it may be surprising that Philip used the name too, it must be remembered that he had known her as a young girl.

She wrote letters to Queen Mary signed with the nickname, "...Thank you very much for the lovely doll house...Love from Lilibet", and George VI once said, "Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy". And, of course, Prince Harry named his daughter Lilibet in honor of The Queen.

Answer: Shirley Temple

One may immediately think that this was a reference to Elizabeth II's cuteness as a young girl, but apparently nothing is farther from the truth. Letters that were made public in 1988 revealed that the abdicated king called her Shirley Temple because of "her dumpy frame and curly hair".

The Duke of Windsor had made his decision to marry for love and give up the throne, but there was still quite a bit of animosity between him and his family, who refused to receive his new wife. The published letters revealed that the couple had code names for many of the members of the family, as well as government figures. Interestingly, the Duchess of Windsor also had a code name for her husband - Peter Pan.