The cheeky name led to fierce online discussion as fans tried to get to the bottom of its meaning. Royal fans have found themselves split down the middle after finding out about Prince William’s adorable nickname for Princess Charlotte. Some argue the name doesn’t mean what everyone else thinks it means – while others claim it doesn’t exist in the first place.
During a much-watched clip of the Prince and Princess of Wales taking their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019, the Prince could be heard calling out the mysterious nickname. In BBC footage of their trip to the garden designed by Kate, William can be heard calling Charlotte “mignonette” as she was playing. This French word translates to “cute” – but is also understood to be used as a term of endearment to mean “little darling” or “cutie.”
However, many social media users have claimed the word means something else entirely. One said: “Nobody says that in French, but we call the little bottles you can find in a minibar like that.” Another in a similar vein said: “So William calls his daughter Charlotte ‘mignonette’ which is little alcohol bottle for publicity purpose in French.” The word can be used in several ways, however, and even refers to a variety of oyster sauce.
One commenter said: “Mignonette is a sauce made of shallots, Champagne vinegar and peppercorns. Her name is Charlotte, which sounds like SHALLOT with a British accent… makes sense.” However, others still were convinced that he wasn’t calling her by a nickname at all. “I’m 100 percent French and have never heard anyone use that nickname,” wrote another, while a fourth shared: “I think he’s saying ‘have you been on here,’ to which she replies ‘yes’.”
Mignonette as a name or nickname could mean “favourite” or “darling”, with “mignon” meaning cute. The addition of “-ette” can mean small, so it translates to “little cutie”. It wouldn’t be unusual for French words to be heard in the Waleses’ home, as Prince William – like his grandmother the late Queen Elizabeth II – is fluent. He is also believed to be fluent in German, Welsh, Gaelic, Spanish and can even converse in Swahili, having taught himself the language during his time at university.
French lessons were also part of the curriculum at school for the Wales children, both at their previous Thomas’s Battersea preparatory school and at their current Windsor-based Lambrook School. Princess Charlotte is also often referred to by “Lottie,” Princess Kate revealed during a chat with blogger Laura-Ann during a visit to Windsor Park stadium.
