Princess Diana had an endearing nickname for her eldest son Prince William – which he still can’t seem to shake off.

The doting mum began referring to William as ‘Wombat’ when he was just a toddler following a family trip to Australia. Diana came up with the affectionate name because the wombat is a popular animal down under, and William says it had nothing to do with him actually liking the creature.

At the age of two, William joined his mother and his father Prince Charles on their 1983 tour of Australia and New Zealand. The important tour was a major moment for the family as it was Charles and Diana’s first official tour as a couple. William revealed the sweet name to NBC and said: “I can’t get rid of it now. It began when I was two. I’ve been rightfully told because I can’t remember back that far.

Princess Diana used to call William ‘Wombat’ ( 
Image:
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“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.” According to Yahoo News, the Prince of Wales followed in his mother’s footsteps by giving his children nicknames. Prince George is referred to as ‘Tips’, while Charlotte goes by the name ‘Lottie’. And his youngest child Louis was dubbed ‘Lou Lou’. But Wombat isn’t the only nickname that William has gained over time, as his wife Kate Middleton has also given him more than one.

She reportedly used to call him ‘Big Willy’ in the early days of their relationship whilst they were students at the University of St. Andrew’s. However, later in life, Kate is said to have developed a new name for her husband, where she refers to his lack of hair by calling him ‘Prince Baldy’. Meanwhile, Kate’s childhood nickname was revealed as ‘Squeak’.

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Image:
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Opening up about her nickname she previously said: “I was nicknamed Squeak just like my guinea pig. There was one called Pip and one called Squeak because my sister was called Pippa and I was Squeak”. William is said to refer to her as ‘Poppet’, which she also calls Prince Louis from time to time.

A source explained to The Sun why nicknames are so special to members of the royal family. They said: “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.”