The sweet nickname Princess Diana gave Prince William after visiting Australia
Royal fans can finally watch the first instalment of the sixth and final series of the highly acclaimed Netflix series The Crown. The first four episodes is now available to watch on Netflix, with six final episodes airing on 14 December.
The first part of the series focuses on the final weeks of Princess Diana’s life, as well as the aftermath of her death and its impact on the royal family. The role of Diana is reprised by Elizabeth Debicki, who played the late princess in the previous series of The Crown, while the roles of teenage Princes William and Harry will be played by Rufus Kampa and Luther Ford respectively.
By the time of Diana’s death, William was 15 and Harry was 12. Although they were young, both William and Harry have spoken often and fondly about their mother’s memory and her influence in their lives even as adults.
In a 2007 joint interview with NBC alongside Harry, the Prince of Wales - then the Duke of Cambridge - revealed the sweet nickname his late mother gave him when they visited Australia. At the time, William was two years of age and King Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, and Diana were still married.
Speaking to journalist Matt Lauer, William confirmed that he was given the nickname "Wombat" during the trip. "I can’t get rid of it now. It began when I was two. I’ve been rightfully told because I can’t remember back that far. But when we went to Australia with our parents, and the wombat, you know, that’s the local animal. So I just basically got called that. Not because I look like a wombat. Or maybe I do."
Harry chimed in and explained that the reason the nickname "Wombat" stuck around for William was because he was still crawling on all fours even at the age of six. The Duke of Sussex joked: "You know what it was. He was still crawling at six. He still couldn’t walk. He was still, lazy."
Meanwhile, it has been reported that William’s own children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis call their father "Pops". Following a royal engagement during which she met the Princess of Wales, Fiona Sturgess, a fan of the royal family, told reporters: "Kate said that William was playing football with the children last night and one of them said, I think it was George, 'Are you playing football tomorrow, Pops?'"
The forthcoming series of The Crown will likely also explore Diana’s close relationship with both her sons. In the trailer, released on 26 October, shows a scene in which Diana and William are riding in her car as she drives through the English countryside with the top down. Together, they sing in the car. Another scene shows William on the phone with Diana while Harry sits opposite his elder brother. William asks: "Mummy, you okay?" Diana replies: "I’m okay. It’s just… It has all been a bit mad recently."
The car ride that William and Diana share in The Crown appears to be in reference to a story William previously told about the car journeys they used to take together. In 2021, he recorded an episode for Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series and revealed that Diana would play "all sorts of songs" for him and Harry to ease their worries about going to boarding school.
"One of the songs I massively remember and has stuck with me all this time - and I still, to this day, still quite enjoy secretly - is Tina Turner’s The Best because sitting in the backseat, singing away, it felt like a real family moment," William said. "My mother, she’d be driving along, singing at the top of her voice. And we’d even get the policeman in the car, he’d be occasionally singing along as well."
Watch: The Crown: Season 6 | Part 1 Trailer | Netflix
Read more about The Crown:
The Crown's New Season 6 Trailer Has Left Fans With Lots Of Thoughts (HuffPost UK, 4-min read)
The Crown shares new look at Diana, William and Harry (Digital Spy, 2-min read)
The Crown's most controversial moments so far as we wait for season 6 (Yahoo TV UK, 6-min read)
