11 Secret Royal Aliases

Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, affectionately referred to Queen Elizabeth II as “Cabbage.” During a trip to Australia, Princess Diana nicknamed Prince William Wombat. In the 1990s, Prince Edward used the alias Richard while planning dates with Sophie Rhys-Jones, now the Duchess of Edinburgh. King Charles and Queen Camilla are rumored to call each other “Fred” and “Gladys,” a nod to a recurring joke from Peter Sellers’s classic radio show, The Goon Show.

These are personal nicknames, but the royal family also employs code names in specific situations. These secret identifiers are often used for security, such as during international travel or major events like weddings and coronations. They also play a role in the protocols following the death of a royal family member.

Starting with George VI, the father of the late Queen Elizabeth, here’s a look at the covert names used by some of the most notable royals throughout history.

Hyde Park Corner // George VI

In 1952, Hyde Park Corner served as the covert term to notify the palace and then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the king’s passing. (Hyde Park Corner is a major intersection in central London, close to Buckingham Palace and The Mall; the reason for its selection as a code remains unknown.) On February 6 at 8:45 a.m., Sir Alan Lascelles, the king’s private secretary, called his assistant and said, “Hyde Park Corner. Inform Mr. Churchill and Queen Mary,” the mother of George VI.

The secrecy was intentional. The coded phrase indicating the king’s death was reportedly devised to ensure palace switchboard operators didn’t discover the news before the royal family.

Tay Bridge // Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother—widow of George VI and mother of the late Elizabeth II—in 2002 at the age of 101, Operation Tay Bridge was initiated.

Similar to other royal funeral arrangements, the announcement and planning of the Queen Mother’s funeral were codenamed after one of the UK’s most iconic bridges: the Tay Bridge. This railway bridge crosses the Firth of Tay in southwest Scotland, linking Fife to Dundee (and should not be mistaken for the Tay Road Bridge, which the Queen Mother officially opened in 1966). Elements of the Tay Bridge plan were also utilized following Princess Diana’s sudden passing in 1997.

London Bridge, Unicorn, and Sharon // Queen Elizabeth II

When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, contacted Prime Minister Liz Truss at Downing Street with the coded message London Bridge is down. This triggered Operation London Bridge, the meticulously planned protocol for the queen’s passing, which included specific guidelines for the BBC in the event of a royal death.

The phrase London Bridge is down likely references the well-known nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down” and the bridge’s proximity to Buckingham Palace, located roughly three miles away. The tradition of naming royal funeral protocols after bridges dates back decades. As former palace press secretary Dickie Arbeiter explained to Yahoo UK in 2020, “The code ‘Bridges’ has been around for decades. … [E]very Royal knows the term, and every Royal signs off on his/her funeral arrangement. Bridges means the move from life to the hereinafter.”

Since Queen Elizabeth passed away at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, outside London, her death also activated Operation Unicorn—a contingency plan for the possibility of her dying in Scotland. The name Unicorn likely refers to the Scottish unicorn, a historic heraldic emblem of the Stuart dynasty featured on the British coat of arms. (The unicorn is also Scotland’s national animal.)

During her public engagements, the Queen used a much simpler code name among her staff and security team. To maintain discretion and prevent unauthorized access to her travel plans, she was referred to as “Sharon” or “S” within her close circle.

Menai Bridge // King Charles III

During his time as the Prince of Wales, the now King Charles was assigned the code name Menai Bridge, named after the iconic 19th-century suspension bridge linking Anglesey to mainland Wales. This protocol was even activated in 1988 when an avalanche hit a Swiss ski resort where Charles was vacationing, leaving his whereabouts temporarily unknown. Fortunately, he emerged unharmed, though another member of the ski group tragically lost their life.

It remains unclear whether King Charles’s code name has been updated by security services following his ascension to the throne and the appointment of his son William as Prince of Wales. Alongside Menai Bridge, Charles has also been referred to by other code names, including Unicorn (assigned by the Secret Service during a 1971 U.S. tour). Additionally, the preparations for his 2022 coronation were codenamed Operation Golden Orb, referencing one of the jeweled symbols of sovereignty used in the ceremony.

Forth Bridge // Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

While his wife, the Queen, was assigned the code name London Bridge, the Duke of Edinburgh was given the fitting code name Forth Bridge, referencing the famous railway bridge spanning Scotland’s Firth of Forth, linking Edinburgh to Fife.

Danny Collins and Daphne Clark // William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales

Similar to Queen Elizabeth II’s use of the unassuming name Sharon, William and Kate, during their time as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, adopted the code names Danny Collins and Daphne Clark (with the initials D.C. as a subtle nod). These names allowed their travel and security arrangements to be discussed discreetly. It remains unknown whether they retained these names after becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales or what operational code names might be used for future formal protocols.

David Stevens and Davina Scott // Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

While William and Catherine used D.C. code names as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex adopted the D.S. code names David Stevens and Davina Scott. It remains unclear if these names are still in use within royal circles after the couple stepped down from official duties in 2020.