The Duchess of Cambridge reveals her unusual (but adorable!) childhood nickname

The story behind it is so sweet

The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed her childhood nickname - and it's seriously cute!

Mother-of-two Kate told the story of her unusual moniker during a previous visit to her old school, St Andrews, in Pangbourne, Berkshire, where she detailed how the nickname had been inspired by the establishment's pet guinea pigs.

'There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, so my sister was called Pip and I was Squeak,' she explained to the crowd of students.

The Duchess isn't the only member of the royal family to go by an alternative name from time to time. In fact, in May 2016, she and husband William were overheard using their nicknames for each other at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Designer Mick Conway told reporters: 'They seemed very interested in the garden. William in particular, he said, "This for me is gold by far." He also asked what this plant was (pointing to a Buxus) and Kate said to him, "Darling, we've got that."'.

The Cambridges may be a 'darling' household, but William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth is thought to have been given a rather more unique nickname by her husband, Prince Philip.

In the 2006 film The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, The Duke of Edinburgh is seen saying to Her Royal Highness: 'Move over, Cabbage', suggesting that this is the affectionate name he's used to refer to her over the years.

Growing up, Elizabeth was known as 'Lilibet', although it was a name used only by her nearest and dearest, and it's thought that some of her closest friends and family still refer to her in this way.

Prince Harry, meanwhile, is said to have gone by 'Spike' in the past, a name which is used by many of his friends. HELLO! magazine reports that he even had a Facebook account under the pseudonym, until it was shut down because it posed a potential security risk.

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