Every year, members of the Royal Family gather to celebrate the monarch’s official birthday at the Trooping the Colour ceremony. The traditional spectacle reaches its climax with the family assembling on the Buckingham Palace balcony to witness the RAF flypast, and Royal enthusiasts have long cherished watching the family’s animated reactions during the aerial display.
Whilst King Charles and other prominent royals take centre stage during the balcony moment, they’re accompanied by the younger members of the Royal Family, particularly Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, offering supporters an opportunity to see the future generation of the monarchy.
The trio, children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, typically captivate onlookers with playful behaviour and endearing exchanges whilst on the Palace balcony, with one especially unforgettable instance occurring during the 2022 Trooping the Colour proceedings.
During 2022’s ceremony, which formed part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee festivities, Prince George was observed using a touching term of endearment for his mother Princess Catherine, which a lip reader detected.
Whilst George rode in a carriage to Horse Guards Parade alongside his mother Princess Catherine, he had been acknowledging the spectators – appearing remarkably smart in his suit and tie – before turning towards Kate and addressing her as “Momma”. The affectionate nicknaming flows in both directions between mother and son, with Princess Catherine dubbing her eldest child and future monarch a quintessentially British moniker: PG Tips.
The renowned British tea brand also mirrors the second-in-line’s initials of Prince George, with the young Royal reportedly sometimes having this shortened further to just ‘Tips’.
The Royal Family reportedly employs numerous nicknames amongst themselves, and the late Prince Philip had one remarkably similar to George’s endearing moniker, with his close circle calling him ‘P. P.’ in reference to his initials.
A Royal insider told The Sun there’s method behind the royals’ fondness for nicknames, explaining: “The royals are not very good at communicating with one another so this is one way around it. Nicknames are a way of taking the family tension out of things.
“They can also be a rather childlike family. They love to play games and they give each other silly presents. I think it’s because they have to be so earnest in their public lives.”
George isn’t the sole Wales child with an endearing nickname. Princess Charlotte frequently goes by ‘Lottie’ amongst both relatives and school friends, whilst her parents also call her ‘Mignonette,’ a French word meaning “delicate” or “cute”, according to Royal expert Katie Nicholl.
Young Prince Louis also has a charming nickname that Kate accidentally revealed during a rare public outing with her children in 2023.
Participating in the Big Help Out at the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough, the three Wales children enjoyed toasting marshmallows over a campfire before making s’mores.
As she urged Louis to dispose of his stick, Kate disclosed her affectionate term for her youngest, saying: “Pop that on the fire Lou-bugs.”
