The Royal Family reportedly “offended” Kate Middleton by making an unusual request of her before she wed Prince William.
In his upcoming biography, Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen, royal expert Christopher Andersen writes that before the now-Princess of Wales, 44, officially became a member of the British Royal Family on April 29, 2011, the then-Prince Charles, 77, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 78, issued the strange request.
They allegedly wanted her to change her name from Catherine to Katherine, claiming that having three “C” names in the family felt like “overkill.” This comes after Kate’s first overseas trip since her cancer treatment was confirmed.
Andersen claims Camilla felt the change was a “logical progression” because the world already knew her future daughter-in-law as Kate.
However, the bride was “offended” by the suggestion, and William was left “fuming,” per Marie Claire.
According to Andersen, William found the idea “insulting, not only to Kate but to her entire family,” the Middletons, with whom he is famously close.
However, the idea of Kate changing her name was obviously dropped. After Charles ascended the throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Kate became known as Catherine, Princess of Wales, alongside her husband, the new Prince of Wales.
Andersen is not the first royal insider to highlight the name-change incident. Prince Harry also recalled Charles and Camilla’s unusual request in his 2023 bombshell memoir, Spare.
“I remembered the time [Charles] and Camilla wanted Kate to change the spelling of her name, because there were already two royal cyphers with a C and a crown above,” he wrote.
“Charles and Camilla. It would be too confusing to have another. Make it Katherine with a K, they suggested. I wondered now what came of that suggestion.”
Kate is now set to make her first international royal engagement following her cancer treatment.
The mother of three will head to Italy on May 13 for a two-day working visit on behalf of the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood, Kensington Palace said.
Kate launched the foundation in 2021 to raise awareness of how early childhood experiences can shape later life.
The princess will take her mission onto the international stage by visiting the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia for a research trip.
She’ll meet with educators, families, and community leaders while exploring the city’s world-renowned trademarked educational philosophy, the Reggio Emilia Approach.
The Italian city has become a global leader in innovative approaches to supporting young children and their careers, viewing children as active, central figures in their own learning.
The Reggio Emilia Approach believes educational centers should be tailored to children’s various ways of thinking and communicating.
“The Princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children’s development,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in the statement.
The Princess of Wales’ husband, Prince William, will not be joining her on the trip. However, it marks Kate’s first international engagement since 2022, when she traveled with William to Boston, Massachusetts, for the Earshot Prize Awards.
In March 2024, Kate released a video message revealing that she was in the early stages of chemotherapy after undergoing abdominal surgery.
In September 2024, she announced that she had completed chemotherapy before announcing that she was in remission in early 2025.
While speaking to patients at Colchester Hospital in southeast England in July, Kate described the phase after cancer treatment as “really difficult,” adding that “you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
