Behind palace doors, King Charles III is known by a very different moniker to the one on his official correspondence.
When the world isn’t watching, official titles are put the the side and the royal family call each other distinctly more relaxed and friendly nicknames.
According to royal author Robert Jobson, the Wales children have their own very special name for King Charles: “Grandpa Wales.”
And the adorable details don’t stop there. The King’s only granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, 11, is said to “light up” whenever her grandfather reads to her in his funny voices.
“He totally adores her. She loves it when he reads to her in his funny voices. They don’t call him Grandpa King, they call him Grandpa Wales,” Jobson has said of the sweet bond between Charles and Charlotte.
It’s a reminder that behind the palace gates, the royals are far more like the rest of us than the formal portraits might suggest — nicknames, inside jokes and all.
What are King Charles’ other nicknames?
According to Hello!, “Grandpa Wales” is just one of several nicknames Charles carries within the family.
Queen Camilla’s grandchildren call him “Uppa,” while Princess Anne has been known to affectionately refer to her brother as “old bean.”
Prince Harry has been known to call him “Pa,” and — perhaps most surprisingly — Martha Stewart has been known to call him “Chuck.”
During their early courtship, Charles and Camilla also had their own secret names for each other.
He called her “Gladys” and she called him “Fred,” reportedly inspired by characters from BBC radio’s The Goon Show.
These days, Charles occasionally lets a more traditional term of endearment slip in public. During a tree planting ceremony alongside Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, he was overheard instructing Camilla with a gentle: “On this side, darling, this side.”
What do William and Kate call each other?
The Prince and Princess of Wales have had their fair share of affectionate nicknames over the years. Some sweet, some rather less so.
During a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2016, the couple were heard calling each other “babe” and “darling.”
But according to The Sun, Kate’s university-era nicknames for William were considerably cheekier — including “Baldy,” which reportedly came about after William complained about her “endless mane of hair,” and “Big Willy.”
William, meanwhile, reportedly called Kate “DoD” — short for “Duchess of Dolittle” — a tongue-in-cheek nod to criticism she faced before their marriage for not having a full-time job.
“Royals have always played in private. So William and Kate are really carrying on a long-held tradition,” an insider told The Sun. “It’s done with affection usually, and there are grains of truth about what one feels about another.”
What do Harry and Meghan call each other?
In a March 2026 Instagram post marking International Women’s Day, Meghan shared a photo with daughter Lilibet and revealed that Harry is known as “Papa Sussex” around the kids.
Between themselves, the couple keep it considerably simpler — Harry calls Meghan “Meg” or “M,” and she returns the favour with similar single-letter shorthand.
Meghan explained the origin of the nicknames on a podcast with friend Jamie Kern Lima in April 2025, saying the code names came about in the early days of their relationship when nobody knew they were dating.
“I couldn’t tell anyone who I was dating, so I think we were just on a letter basis,” she said. “I like it. I love nicknames.”
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