These Are the Secret Code Names Bodyguards Use for Harry, Meghan, Will, and Kate

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published 16 September 2018

The members of the royal family (opens in new tab) are very famous—groundbreaking statement, right? Like most very famous people, the British royals have bodyguards tasked with keeping them safe. Like most bodyguards of very famous people, the royal family's security team speak in ~code~ to throw crazed fans and crazed assassins off the scent.

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Now, thanks to the Daily Mail (opens in new tab), we know the code names used for Prince William, Kate Middleton (opens in new tab), Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab). Warning: These code names are some of the least glamorous names you will ever read in your life.

Will and Kate (opens in new tab) are code named "Danny Collins" and "Daphne Clark," according to the Daily Mail, while Harry and Meghan (opens in new tab) are known as "David Stevens" and "Davina Scott" in coded communications.

These ultra-boring names are a nod to the royals' official titles. Will and Kate are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, so their code names have the initials "DC." Harry and Meghan are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so their code names have the initials "DS." It's not exactly World War II Code Talker-level security, but apparently it gets the job done.

"If anyone got hold of a phone belonging to a royal aide or security team member, they won’t find Harry Windsor and Meghan’s names in it," a royal source said, according to Daily Mail. "It is far too risky in the wrong hands."

Don't both trolling around London eavesdropping for mentions of Davina Scott though—that code name has probably already been replaced.

"They get given code names but they are changed regularly for obvious reasons," the source added.

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.