Prince George's confusing reply to a stranger who asked his name

8 March 2022, 12:42 | Updated: 9 March 2022, 16:49

By Alice Dear

Does Prince George have a family nickname we don't know about?

Prince George may be our future king, but at the moment he's just a child, and if we know one thing about children it is that they can come out with very random comments.

• Listen now on Global Player: Ukraine’s Hidden Voices with Amanda Holden, the untold stories of those caught in the conflict.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's eldest son, who is now eight-years-old, reportedly had one of these moments with a random dog walker back when he was only five.

According to The Sun, Prince George told a dog walker his name was Archie while playing near Buckleberry in Berkshire with Princess Charlotte and grandmother Carole Middleton.

• Kate Middleton on Prince William's reaction when she told him 'let's have another baby'
• William and Harry have a step-sister you probably knew nothing about
• Kate Middleton reveals favourite children's books she reads to George, Charlotte and Louis

As reported by the publication, George and Charlotte were playing in a stream near the Middleton family house when the little Prince went to stroke the walker's dog.

2019: Queen backs away as Prince George attacks pudding mix with spoon

The woman, who wanted to stay unnamed, said on the encounter: “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 obviously I knew it."

She went on: "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.”

It is not known to this day whether George made up the name on the spot, or whether it was a nickname for the little royal back in the day.

Of course, Prince George does know someone by this name; his cousin and first child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Archie.

This meeting with the dog walker happened in January 2019, four months before Archie was born.

This means it is unlikely that's where he got the name from, but it's also not impossible that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had already settled on the moniker at the time.

Whether they told their nephew, and whether he used it as his own name with this dog walker is unknown. The more likely answer is that George just wanted to be an Archie that day!

Read more Royal news:

• Why Kate Middleton takes all the royal children's portraits
• Prince William and Kate Middleton's adorable nicknames for Charlotte revealed
• Why Prince William and Kate Middleton don't kiss and hug in public