High Five: 5 weird nicknames for European royals you've probably never heard of
Royals: They're just people, after all. And they're even said to have a private life! Kitschy nicknames are proof of that. And despite all efforts, some of them can't be kept secret.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
When Prince William's wife was still simply called Kate Middleton, she was a normal person who attended a normal school. Two guinea pigs were kept there, one called "Pip" and the other "Squeak." That's why Kate's sister Pippa was nicknamed "Pip," and Kate was called "Squeak," as the Duchess herself has admitted. She didn't go into any more detail, though.
Britain's Prince William
Prince William also got a funny nickname as a child. In 1983, his famous parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, took him along on a trip to Australia. That's where Lady Di gave him the pet name "Wombat," which are a type of cute marsupials from Down Under. William is said to be called by that nickname even today. His brother Harry is called "Ginger" because of his red hair.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
The nickname of Danish Queen Margrethe II doesn't refer to animals, but rather to flowers. Since early childhood, she has been called "Daisy." The logic behind the name is simple to understand. In French, a daisy is a "marguerite" which sounds very similar to her actual name.
Princess Estelle of Sweden
Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Daniel crossed their T's and dotted their I's when their daughter Estelle (second left) was born in 2012. At least they did when it came to her nickname. From birth onwards, they called their little darling "Pricken," which means "dot." Her younger brother, 2-year-old Oscar Carl Olof, is called "Oscis" by his proud parents.
Prince Frederik of Denmark
In 1995, the Danish Crown Prince (right) was trained as an undersea diver by an elite troop of the Danish navy, the so-called "Frømandskorpset," which means "frogman corps." Newspaper reports and pictures of him clad in a wetsuit brought him the nickname "Frogman Pingo," — and he's never managed to get rid of it.