During his time at St Andrew’s University, Prince William adopted a moniker to blend in with the crowd and avoid any unwanted attention from royal fanatics while finishing his schooling
Ever since the moment he was born, Prince William has been in the public eye as future King.
All of his difficult moments, like the deaths of his grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip – as well as the sudden death of Princess Diana – have played out on the world stage.
Royal fans have also been there for the joyful times, like this wedding to Princess Kate in 2011, and the births of his three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
But there was a time when William, who is celebrating his 43rd birthday today, wanted to shy away from the spotlight, as he went down an unusual path to stay under the radar.
During his time at St Andrew’s University, there was much speculation about the young prince and his studies, even though much of the media agreed he should be able to complete his university education in Scotland in peace.
In order to hide from prying eyes, it had been reported that William had adopted an exceptionally normal moniker during his time at uni – Steve.
While William was enrolled in the school under his proper royal name, it is believed that his classmates often used the name in order to keep any unwanted attention off the young royal.
As William and Kate were close friends at university and lived in the same student accommodation, there is a good chance that his now wife also used the pseudonym.
William first started out at St Andrew’s studying the history of art, but quickly changed to geography, finishing up his studies in 2005 and graduating in the same ceremony as Kate.
The ceremony was attended by the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, as well as his father King Charles and stepmother Queen Camilla.
Now, 20 years on, William and Kate have been happily married for 14 years and are the parents to three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
It seems having nicknames is something that runs in the family, with both William and Kate giving different monikers to their daughter, Princess Charlotte. The sweet nickname was revealed several years ago, when William and Kate took their three children to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.
In adorable family footage, the three young children could be seen running around enjoying the stunning flower creations – and at one point William called out for his daughter.
But instead of calling her Charlotte, he called out for ‘Mignonette’. The French word is said to mean “small, sweet, and delicate” or “cute”. Older French definitions also show it can mean gentle and kind.
It’s rather different from the nickname Kate has previously been known to call her young daughter – Lottie.