The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, died last year, and as a result, her childhood nickname faded from use, with the Duke of Edinburgh being the last royal to address her by this moniker.
Arthur Edwards, in his moving piece about covering Philip’s funeral in 2021, mentioned the poignant milestone. Sweetly, the affectionate moniker dates back to when the Queen was too young to pronounce her own name and instead called herself “Lilibet.”
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Her parents and grandparents quickly adopted the moniker, which George VI, the Queen’s father, was once quoted as saying: “Lilibet is a source of pride for me. Margaret is a joy to me.”
She used this shortened form of Elizabeth to sign letters as a young royal.
For example, in a thank-you note to her grandmother, Queen Mary, she wrote: “Darling Granny. Thank you very much for the lovely doll’s house. I do love it, and I have unpacked the dining room and the hall. Love from Lilibet xxx.”
Photo: © Getty Images
Despite her parents and husband’s affectionate use of the name, no one else in the royal family refers to the monarch as “Lilibet.”
The name is still used today, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle named their daughter Lilibet after Her Majesty. Diana is the young girl’s middle name, which is a tribute to the Duke’s late mother.
That isn’t to say the Queen’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren haven’t given her other sweet names.
Prince Charles referred to Her Majesty as “Mummy” during his speech for her 92nd birthday, causing her to react by rolling her eyes and laughing along with the audience.
At the 2012 Olympics, Princes William and Harry were seen cheering on “Granny” as her stunt double parachuted into the stadium, and the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that her two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, refer to their great-grandmother as “Gan-Gan.”
