Prince George gave himself the cutest nickname

Though Prince George and Princess Charlotte have grown up in extraordinary circumstances as British royals, they are kids just like the rest of them. While out on a walk with his younger sister and grandma, Carole Middleton, on Jan. 26, a lucky bystander had a chance encounter with the kids—and discovered the little prince’s nickname!

The local, who spotted the trio by a stream near the Middleton family home in Berkshire, spoke to The Sun about the fun sighting: “I was asked by a police minder not to take a photo of the children, which I didn’t, but George started stroking my dog. Just to be friendly I engaged in a bit of small talk and I asked George what his name was, even though I obviously knew.”

The woman, who preferred not to be named, continued the story: “To my astonishment, he said, ‘I’m called Archie,’ with a big smile on his face. I don’t know why he calls himself Archie but kids often play with their names and I think it’s lovely.” Too cute!

Given the encounter, it would appear that the adorable young royals are enjoying some one-on-one time with their grandparents in the countryside. Though the Cambridges are based in London—where the five-year-old attends Thomas’s Battersea School and his sister is enrolled in Willcocks Nursery School—they often visit Michael and Carole west of the city.

And while members of the Royal Family have official titles, it doesn’t stop them from giving each other nicknames! It’s been said that the Duchess of Cambridge calls little Charlotte ‘poppet’—a common term of endearment in Britain—while George has been overheard calling his dad ‘pops’! And when Prince Harry and Meghan’s first child comes along in the spring, he or she will have to learn the nickname for grandpa Prince Charles… Grandpa Wales!

But way back before Prince William and Kate were even an item, the two had their own monikers that they went by in university. The prince—and future King!—called himself “Steven” in order to blend in, The Sun reports, while Kate was called Squeak. Together with her sister Pippa, they were lovingly deemed “PipSqueak.”

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