Forget grandmother, gran or nanny – Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall has an all-together more unusual nickname, chosen for her by her grandchildren.
The royal has revealed that she is called 'Gaga' by the youngest members of her family, joking, “I don’t know if it’s because they think I am, but it is still very sweet.”
Camilla disclosed her quirky moniker when asked by the Mail what the new royal arrival, Prince George, is likely to call her. “That’s something we have got to have a think about,” she added. “We haven’t decided yet.”
The 66-year-old is a proud grandmother to five children, all under the age of five, and clearly dotes on the little brood. “We are all about to go off on holiday together, there will be seven children in all. Can you imagine it?,” she said. “It can be quite chaotic, but I just love having them all around.
”Camilla has also forged a close bond with her step-sons Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as Kate Middleton. And, of course, the royal baby was very much on everyone’s minds as the Duchess and her husband Prince Charles attended the Sandringham Flower Show.
Despite the weather, 18,000 people turned out to greet the royal couple and offer their congratulations to the proud new grandfather.
As his wife chatted about her nicknames, Charles was busy collecting babygros, teddy bears and books from wellwishers to be passed on to Prince George.
“It’s a wonderful feeling (to be a grandfather),” the delighted royal told members of the crowd. “It’s a very nice feeling, isn’t it?”
He told Freda Aspinall, 73, herself a great grandmother, that baby George was “very sweet” but that it was “too early to say” who he takes after.
“I think I am going to have to go on a babysitting course as it’s been a while since I have done this sort of thing,” he added.
Weighing considerably more than Charles’ newborn grandson was the bald eagle he came face-to-face with at the show.
Charles gamely put on a leather glove to handle the impressive bird of prey, which had a wingspan of seven-and-a-half feet and weighed 10lbs 4oz.
“She’s a wonderfully good-natured bird, very, very gentle. That’s why we called her Zephyr, which means gentle breeze,” her handler Lisa Falco explained.
Nevertheless, Zephyr still managed to ruffle a few feathers when she flapped her wings, causing Charles to spring back in surprise, but he quickly regained his confidence.
His wife remained less sure. “That’s a very sharp beak,” she said, when asked if she would like to hold the bird. “I think not!”
