Prince William's Pals' Barmy Nickname for Kate Middleton and Her Family Finally Revealed 

Prince William once watched his friends coin a teasing nickname for Kate Middleton and her famously close family – a label insiders now tell OK! revealed as much about William's world at the time as it did about the Middletons themselves.

William, now 43, met Kate, 44, in 2001 when they were first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. They began as friends, became housemates and later a couple, building a relationship that has now spanned more than half their lives.

During those early years, William's circle are said to found Kate's tight-knit family dynamic strikingly different from his own upbringing.

Royal biographer Katie Nicholl revealed the nickname in her book The Making of a Royal Romance, writing: "William's friends jokingly refer to the close-knit family as 'the OM Middletons,' meaning the 'On Masse Middletons' because they are always together."

Nicholl also noted the family's instinct to stick together when under pressure, adding: "The family needed privacy, and the only place to get away from media storm and the paparazzi camped on the doorstep of their home was Mustique."

The Middletons – parents Michael and Carole, along with siblings Pippa and James – were already known for operating as a unit during William and Kate's university days.

One former acquaintance said: "There was no real malice behind it. William's friends were more intrigued than anything by how inseparable the Middletons were. That kind of family unity was unfamiliar to him then, and the nickname grew out of that curiosity, but it was a bit barmy."

Sources say the contrast mattered.

William had grown up in a royal household shaped by formality, fractured relationships and emotional distance.

"Spending time with the Middletons introduced William to a kind of family life he hadn't really experienced before," one palace aide said. "It was lively, dependable and emotionally present, and that difference was obvious to everyone around Wills."

That dynamic has only become more visible over time. In 2024, when Kate publicly announced her cancer diagnosis, the Middletons were described as a central source of strength.

Her brother James said: "For her and her family, it was a challenging time, and I know for us and our bigger family it was a challenging time."

He added: "Being there for someone is such an important part, and it doesn't necessarily have to be on your terms, and it shouldn't be on your terms. It should be on their terms – unconditional."

A friend of the family later said Kate's parents Michael and Carole were "brilliant" throughout her cancer treatment. One royal expert echoed that view, saying William was given "a second family in Carole and Michael."

Another insider said: "With hindsight, the nickname given to Kate feels strangely fitting."

"What once seemed unusual to William's friends has become one of the most grounding and steady influences in his life as an adult," the insider dished. "Carole has long been a constant source of strength for Kate, and that was especially true over the past year. She stepped up in every possible way. The Middletons' traditional, close-knit values are exactly what made William feel so comfortable around them."

William himself acknowledged that bond during the couple's 2010 engagement interview, saying: "Kate's got a very, very close family. I get on really well with them, and I'm very lucky that they've been so supportive." He also described Carole and Michael as "really loving and caring and really fun,"

Michael later returned the compliment, saying he and his family had "got to know William really well" and they were "extremely fond of him" – sentiments insiders say, long outlasted a nickname coined in a student common room.