Kate Middleton’s transition to Catherine before Prince William’s proposal in 2010 sparked speculation. The name change reflected her preparation for a formal public role.
Prince William proposed in 2010, while Kate Middleton was already a well-known name. They had an eight-year relationship that included a temporary breakup in 2007. And still, even though she anticipated the change, Kate was getting ready for formalizing her name. She even told her friends to start calling her Catherine instead of Kate.
Amongst her buddies, Kate went by nicknames. But, according to royal biographer Robert Jobson, she requested they address her as Catherine. This disclosure from Jobson’s book Catherine, the Princess of Wales, added more fuel to the fire regarding his intention of proposing.
In 2008, Adam Helliker reported in The Sunday Express that Kate sent a lighthearted email to some friends. Basically, her point was that she would like people around her to refer to her as Catherine, not Kate. He wrote how she told them this and said it meant she wanted to be known by her longer version rather than the shortened one, which is informal.
Jobson’s book hints that whether or not she did not like being referred to as ‘Kate’ or it was part of preparation for future public life remains inconclusive. A few years before he made the proposal, however, something strange happened.
This led him into speculation concerning what kind of princess should be entitled to such a title. Nonetheless, at this period, Prince Charles’ communications secretary denied any such plans.
The argument about Kate’s name did not end there after all. In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry tells an anecdote about his sister-in-law, who had been given permission by Charles to change the spelling of her name.
He asked if William could understand why King Charles insisted on changing his lady’s name into Katherine with K instead of C since there were already two royal cyphers with the letter C meaning Charles and Camilla, respectively.
After marrying William in 2011, Queen Elizabeth II showed kindness, granting them the titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In 2022, King Charles bestowed on them the titles Prince and Princess of Wales, which is traditional for the heir to the throne.
According to etiquette experts at Debrett’s, she should be known as Catherine, Princess of Wales. However, many still call her Kate. Prince William uses the name Catherine in formal correspondence while addressing official correspondences.
The public, press, and sometimes friends also call her Kate. Her name changes show her journey from commoner to royalty. Whether called Kate or not, she continues to occupy a special place among British royals.
