What Does Prince William's Adorable Maybe-Nickname for Princess Charlotte Mean?

    • The word is a version of the French word "cute" but also has a number of sweet connotations, and would be an adorable nickname for the tiny princess.

        Ooooh I love me a good royal nickname! Sharp-eared fans think that they've discovered what William calls Charlotte in a video released by Kensington Palace, which shows the adorable royal family playing in Kate Middleton's Back to Nature Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

        The exact dialogue goes like this: William says (potentially), "Mignonette?" Charlotte responds with a, "Yea?" William says, "Give me a push!" Charlotte then runs away, proving that you can be the future king of England and you're still just a weirdo dad in the eyes of your children.

        Other fans think that he is instead saying, "Have you been on it?" (or, just, "Been on it?"), and she's saying yes. No one's totally sure, and the royals likely wouldn't say, but in my absolutely non-expert opinion it sounds like mignonette to me.

        Mignonette as a name or nickname could mean "favorite" or "darling." ("Mignon" means cute, and the addition of "-ette" can mean small, so it literally translates to "little cutie," and also, considering how long ago I took French, the fact I can remember that is a modern-day miracle.) The word can also connote "delicate" or "dainty," which describes the beautiful Charlotte perfectly.

        The word could also mean a French sauce or a plant, which...gonna go out on a limb here and say that's not it.

        In videos with their kids, we've managed to decipher a few of the nicknames that the proud parents have for their kids, including that Kate calls Charlotte "poppet." Also, Charlotte and George call William "Pops," lol.

        Here's the original video:

        From what very, very little I remember of the language, that does sound like the right pronunciation? I hope it's true! Of course the royals have cool nicknames for each other in different languages. Also, does it mean Charlotte is learning French??



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