Princess Kate caught the eye of the future King when they were both students at St Andrews University – and a cheeky nickname may have helped them meet
They may enjoy the frills of pomp and pageantry, but that doesn’t mean the Royal Family can’t have casual nicknames for one another.
The late Prince Phillip fondly called the late Queen ‘Cabbage’ or ‘Lillbet’, while King Charles and Queen Camilla reportedly call one another ‘Fred’ and ‘Gladys’ – a nod to characters on The Goon Show.
Princess Kate apparently used to call to Prince William ‘Big Willy’ in the early days of their relationship after meeting at the University of St. Andrew’s, Edinburgh, where they both studied. Kate’s decision to study at the university proved to be a life-changing moment when she caught the eye of the future King, thanks to a cheeky nickname given to her by her fellow students.
While it may sound surprising in contrast to her life now, before Kate became a princess she was partial to partying and fun nights out. Like many students, she took part in Freshers’ Week – and she didn’t hold back.
In her book Kate: The Future Queen, author Katie Nicholl writes that Kate had a “hectic week of partying, meeting her ‘university parents’ – older pupils who were in charge of looking after freshers – finding her way around town and settling into her residence hall”.
She adds: “Kate soon found her way around and was often seen relaxing in the common room, curled up in an armchair, a cup of tea in hand, either reading newspaper articles her father rather touchingly mailed to her or getting to know her fellow hall mates.”
As William was already in line to the throne, he missed out on all the boozy-fun and arrived at St Andrews the following week. It didn’t take him long to notice his future wife, probably because of the nickname she was given by her peers.
According to Nicholl, the future Queen had been dubbed ‘Beautiful Kate’ by the end of Freshers’ Week. She writes: “She was initially more reserved than many of the other young women, but her natural beauty was apparent.”
Kate, now 42, was reportedly tanned from a recent holiday in Barbados with her parents, fit from regular early morning run or swim, and dressed in her comfortable Hennes jeans, fitted sweater and signature cowboy boots. “She radiated an outer freshness and an inner confidence,” the author penned.
After the pair got engaged, Kate was able to recall the moment they met straight away, but William struggled to remember and said he’d have to “wrack his brains”. Kate said: “I actually went bright red when I met you and scuttled off feeling very shy about meeting you.”
She added: “William wasn’t there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn’t there from Fresher’s Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other. But we did become very close friends from quite early on.”
Prince Harry has a totally casual nickname for his sister-in-law that he uses on a variety of occasions, according to an interview Kate did in 2017 with BBC Radio 1 – he calls her Cath, a shortened version of Catherine. The Princess of Wales admitted wasn’t sure when Harry began calling her the nickname.
Kate looked happy and chatty in a video showing her and Prince William visiting the Windsor Farm Shop on Saturday, a short drive from their Adelaide Cottage home on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Kate’s absence from public life, following abdominal surgery on January 16, has led to wild conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts and health.
Details of her condition have not been disclosed. Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that she would not resume public duties until after Easter. The Princess of Wales will reportedly return to public life under the guidance of a specially recruited crack team.
Do you have a nickname like Kate? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
