Relationships and titles can be tricky for any family, let alone the royal family. In fact, I can’t imagine Prince William or Prince Harry calling HM Queen Elizabeth II “grams” or “GG” — she is the matriarch of the whole country, after all. But hey — what do I know?!
However, for married-in step-relatives like Prince Charles’ second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, I suspect it gets a little trickier for family members , especially young children, to navigate her official unofficial title.
My guess is that growing up in the royal family can be rather… exhausting. Lots of fun with lots of money and exclusive opportunities but nevertheless, still tiring.
As we saw with Prince Louis’ recent hijinks at his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee last month, the long and formal festivities are exhausting on any child, and parent, royal, or not.
That’s why the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are taking a new approach.
It’s clear that Prince William and Kate Middleton are trying to raise their children as “normal” as possible, doing away with a lot of formalities and appearances usually expected of them.
RELATED STORIES
People seem to love it!
This more “approachable” monarchy is being well received by royal family fans who love seeing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children attend school with “normal” children and have casual, more laidback birthday portrait photoshoots taken by mom Kate.
As fans of the royal family know, Prince Charles’ wedding to Camilla Parker Bowels was, in and of itself, a very untraditional move.
The pair, who had been an on and off item since the ’70s, finally wed in a small ceremony in 2005.
People speculated late marriage might have caused rifts in the family.
But things never appeared to be unhealthy or tense.
In fact, fans got a glimpse at what Camilla’s relationship with the rest of the family looks like when the Duchess of Cornwall spoke with the “Daily Mail” in 2013.
Namely, her relationship with her grandchildren.
Shortly after William and Kate’s first child George was born, the Duchess revealed what her own biological grandchildren call her , giving fans an insight into what her potential title could be with Prince Charles’ grandchildren.
“My own grandchildren call me GaGa. I don’t know if it’s because they think I am! It is funny but is still very sweet,” she said in 2013.
While it’s unclear whether the Cambridge kiddos use the same nickname for Camilla, Prince William did give fans insight during the ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
The Duke stated that he regularly reminds his children of “two grandmothers in their lives.”
This, of course, refers to Kate’s mother Carole Middleton and his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
It would make sense that the children would use a different term of endearment for Camilla, most likely the name “Ga–Ga.”
Isn’t that just the sweetest?
It only makes sense for there to be a level of distinction between the two grandmothers, especially when honoring one who’s passed. This is a perfectly respectful way to continue to allow space for Princess Diana’s presence in the family.