Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry Used Secret WhatsApp Nicknames, Former Staffer Reveals

Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry reportedly used secret nicknames on WhatsApp, according to a former royal staffer. Jack Stooks, who worked for King Charles for 21 years as a gardener at Highgrove, revealed that the royals identified each other on the messaging app using aliases for privacy and security.

Stooks shared with GB News that Prince William was known as "Bobcat," while his wife, Kate Middleton, was "Mrs. Bobcat." Prince Harry was reportedly called "Baz," a nickname derived from his friends. Stooks explained that these nicknames were necessary because staff could not save the royals' numbers under their real names.

"We couldn't have them saved under their real names, so they had nicknames instead," Stooks told GB News. "William was 'Bobcat,' Harry was 'Baz,' and when Catherine joined the family, she became ‘Mrs. Bobcat.’"

Stooks also mentioned that only a select number of staff were given the royals' phone numbers, which were treated as highly confidential. He noted that the family members would change their numbers regularly, and he no longer possesses any of their contact information. "From memory, William was ‘Wombat,’ again because that is what his friends called him," Stooks added, referring to another nickname for Prince William.

According to royal experts, the use of nicknames within the royal family is not uncommon. Some names are terms of endearment, while others serve as aliases for security purposes. For instance, Prince William was known as "Steve" during his time at university, a deliberate attempt to maintain privacy. The late Queen Elizabeth II was affectionately called "Cabbage" by her husband, Prince Philip, a name derived from the French phrase "mon petit chou," meaning "my little cabbage." Prince Philip also reportedly called her "sausage."

King Charles III and Queen Camilla reportedly use the nicknames "Fred" and "Gladys," which originated from a comedy radio show Prince Charles listened to in his youth. King Charles has also publicly referred to Queen Camilla as "Mehbooba," an Urdu word meaning "my beloved."

Princess Diana's family reportedly called her "Dutch," short for "Duchess," due to her refined demeanor. She, in turn, referred to her brother, Charles Spencer, as "Carlos."

Stooks indicated that the royal family extensively uses WhatsApp for communication, maintaining group chats with friends and a family group that includes royal cousins. "They're very much like any other family when it comes to keeping in touch through their phones," he said.

Regarding King Charles's use of technology, Stooks noted that the King was not particularly tech-savvy and was not keen on using mobile phones during his time. He recalled William and Harry encouraging their father to adopt modern technology, but Charles remained uninterested.

Other reported nicknames include "Dukes of Hazard" for Prince Harry and the former Prince Andrew, and "Baldy" and "Big Willy" as alleged terms Kate Middleton sometimes uses for Prince William when displeased. The nickname "Lilibet," famously used by Prince Philip for Queen Elizabeth II, was later adopted by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for their daughter.