KFC dubs Prince William 'His Royal Thighness' after he's caught peering into restaurant window

Prince William goes by many names, from the Duke of Cambridge to Wills and even Wombat – a nickname lovingly given to him as a child by his mother, Princess Diana.

But now the royal has earned himself a new title: “His Royal Thighness”.

The duke was granted the unique moniker by the fast food chain KFC after he was spotted peering into the windows of one of its restaurants during an official engagement.

On Tuesday, William and the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out to meet with some of the 100 finalists from Kate’s “Hold Still” photography project, which she launched during the lockdown.

But on the way, the duke appeared to be distracted by the smell of KFC's famously secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, and couldn’t help but lean in and stare through the glass.

KFC’s social media team used the opportunity to their advantage and tweeted one of the photos showing William outside their restaurant, along the caption: “William whispered quietly to himself; ‘Oh, I just can’t wait to be wing’” – a reference to The Lion King song “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King.”

The KFC account later followed up with another tweet about a missed opportunity for William's new nickname, writing: “I'm sad I didn’t call him His Royal Thighness in the main tweet tbh.”

Many of the fast food chain’s followers commented on the post, sharing their own witty remarks about the photo.

“He’s keeping a breast of what the local citizens carry out & eat! Lol (See what I did there?),” one person wrote.

Another added: “Hahaha this is brilliant! Guy just wanted a zinger box meal”, while a third person commented: “My kingdom for a bucket of chicken."

This is not the first time that the duke has made his love of chicken known.

During an appearance on the BBC One documentary Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, William was asked if he liked Nando’s, to which he replied: “I like Nando’s, everyone likes a Nando’s.”  

William isn't the only chicken fan in the family either, as Prince Harry famously proposed to Meghan Markle during a “cosy night” at home making a roast chicken.