The Adorable Pet Name Prince Phillip Had for Queen Elizabeth

This is just too precious.

Editor’s Note: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth II, has died at 99 years old.

In a statement on April 9, 2021, the Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.”

“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.


Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip had more than 70 years of marriage under their belts—and their love story is one for the books. Most couples have cutesy nicknames for each other, and the late Duke of Edinburgh and Her Majesty were no exception. It’s a small part of the Queen and late Prince’s love story—but it’s a part that makes us smile.

During the 2006 film The Queen, as Philip is about to get in bed and tells his wife to “move over, cabbage.” Wait … cabbage?

“I inquired in royal circles and was told on very good authority that that is what the duke sometimes calls the Queen,” said the film’s screenwriter Peter Morgan tells The Times. The Queen’s biographer, Robert Lacey, confirmed. How cute!

Some have speculated that the pet name came from mon petit chou, a French way of saying “my darling.” In English, though, the term translates literally to “my little cabbage,” though it actually comes from a shortened term for the pastry chou à la crème. Here are the words you’ll never hear a royal say, though.

But “cabbage” isn’t the only nickname the Queen has—just one of the fascinating facts about Queen Elizabeth (like the fact that her and Prince Philip were related). Prince George calls her “Gan-Gan”—as British royals have been doing for their great-grandmas for generations, according to PopSugar. And when she was young, the then-princess’s close family would call her “Lilibet,” mimicking the fact that she couldn’t pronounce her own name. Still, the late Prince Philip’s nickname for her just might take the cake as cutest nickname. If you want to learn more about the Queen’s late husband, here are some Prince Philip facts you may not have known.

Next, read about Kate Middleton’s couple nickname for Prince William.

Sources:

  • The Times: “Is it why Charles talks to the veg?”
  • Gymglish: “Mon petit chou”
  • Pop Sugar: “The Hidden Meaning of Prince George’s Nickname For the Queen”

Marissa Laliberte
Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.