Prince George reveals his secret nickname

Prince George of Cambridge. Photo / Getty Images

Prince George has revealed to a stranger that his name is Archie, sparking speculation over whether it's a secret family nickname.

According to the Sun, the royal five-year-old was out with his grandmother Carole Middleton and his younger sister Charlotte when a dog walker came across them at a stream near the Middleton family home in Berkshire.

The woman - who asked not to be named - told the Sun: "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.

"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."

George already has several nicknames; his middle names are Alexander and Louis and before he was born, Kate and William referred to him as "our little grape".

At school he's known as PG and his parents also extended that to, PG Tips or just "Tips" after the tea.

Nicknames are common for the royals in general, the Sun reports.

Princess Diana called William "Wombat", when he went to University he called himself "Steve" so as to maintain a low profile and wife Kate calls him "Big Willy".

Prince Harry has been known as "Flash", and "Potter" (a reference to Harry Potter), while his wife Meghan Markle was called "Flower" by her mum and "Bean" by her dad.

Meanwhile The Queen has gone by many names, including "Lilibet" (because she couldn't say "Elizabeth" as a child), "Brenda" (a nickname from a magazine), "The Baked Bean" (rhyming cockny slang), "Cabbage" and "Sausage" (nicknames from Prince Philip.

A royal insider told the Sun: "The royals love nicknames and having a bit of fun just like everyone else. When George goes to school I can imagine a few comments about 'Educating Archie.'"