Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, sovereign, Head of the Commonwealth, ruler of the British monarchy: The queen has plenty of titles, but none so sweet or as endearing as the one her husband gave her.
Yep, Prince Philip has his very own moniker for his wife that has nothing to do with her role as head of state. As it turns out, the Duke of Edinburgh calls Her Majesty “Cabbage.”
We first learned this fun fact during the 2006 film The Queen. Philip, played by James Cromwell, is about to get in bed and says, “Move over, Cabbage,” to his wife Queen Elizabeth, played by Helen Mirren.
Cabbage? The vegetable-inspired name was later confirmed by those closest to the British royal fam.
Peter Morgan, screenwriter for the film and creator of Netflix's The Crown, told The Times, “I inquired in royal circles and was told on very good authority that that is what the duke sometimes calls the Queen."
The Queen’s biographer, Robert Lacey, who is the historical consultant for Netflix's The Crown, confirmed the fact. "Yes, I've heard that is how he will sometimes refer to her."
The nickname is thought to have come from the French term "mon petit chou," which means "my darling." But something gets a little lost in translation because in English, it actually means "‘my little cabbage."
Royal reminder: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary last November, and released a new photo of themselves outside Windsor Castle (where they've been quarantining) in honor of Prince Philip's 99th birthday on June 10.
Other nicknames for the queen from those closest to her: "Gan-Gan" (which is what Prince George reportedly calls his great-grandmother) and "Gary."
On the occasion of the queen’s 90th birthday back in 2016, Kate Middleton told Hello Magazine that Prince George, then two-and-a-half years old, had an informal nickname for the royal matriarch: Gan-Gan. (So sweet!)
The story behind "Gary" is that, according to Richard Kay of the Daily Mail, while a young Prince William was trying to call out for the queen, it came out as the name Gary.
Per the outlet, “A guest who went to help asked who Gary was, assuming it must be a member of the royal household. ‘I’m Gary,’ responded Elizabeth. ‘He hasn’t learned to say Granny yet.’”
Our favorite though, is still "cabbage."
