Prince William’s face “went blank” at the request

There are a lot of royal whisperings and traditions which take place behind palace walls that the rest of the world have no grasp on. One of them is that King Charles reportedly asked Kate Middleton to change her name before she tied the knot with Prince William – but why?

The bizarre request was revealed by Prince Harry who dished the details on the strange protocol in his memoir Spare.

Kate and Prince William celebrated their nuptials on April 29, 2011, and a lot has changed since then. They went on to welcome three children together and have become the Prince and Princess of Wales since King Charles ascended to the throne.

But before Kate walked down the aisle in her Alexander McQueen wedding dress – King Charles had a curious concern about the Middleton who was marrying into the royal family, and so he asked her to change her name.

Prince Harry made the revelation in his memoir Spare (Credit: Cover Images)

Why did Catherine Middleton change her name to Kate?

The Duke of Sussex left The Firm in 2020 with wife Meghan Markle at his side. Despite the royal stepping down from his duties, he revealed a lot of details about the palace with his bombshell biography when it released in 2022.

One of the revelations Harry made in Spare was that King Charles and Queen Camilla spoke to Kate Middleton before she married Prince William to ask her to change her name.

Now, it wasn’t over a dislike of Catherine, or to transform the moniker into something that sounds more regal. Instead, he claimed, it was down to formality over a personal preference.

Charles and Camilla reportedly suggested Middleton change the C in her name, Catherine, to a K, Katherine, to avoid clashes of initials within The Firm.

Princess Kate hasn’t changed her name and still introduces herself as Catherine. But a nickname used around the world is still Kate or Kate Middleton due to her being well-known with that name when she entered the royal family.

Read more: 8 times Kate Middleton defiantly shut down divorce rumours with Prince William
Prince William reportedly had a “blank face” over the bizarre request from his dad (Credit: Cover Images)

Prince William’s reaction to strange request

Harry went further and wrote about how the future king responded to the suggestion.

The duke penned in his book: “There were already two royal cyphers with a ‘C’ and a crown above: 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.”

He added: “I turned to Willy, gave him a look that said, ‘You listening to this?’ His face was blank.”

But it seems Kate Middleton ignored the request by King Charles and Queen Camilla to change her name, as she still refers to herself as Catherine with a C.
Kate Middleton has always used her name Catherine with a C (Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images)

Catherine with a C

It’s clear the princess still refers to herself as Catherine with a C as when she signs off on social media posts, she’ll write a simple ‘C’ in the caption.

Prince William also refers to his wife as Catherine when they’re in public.

Royal author Robert Jobson wrote in his biography of the future queen that the duchess sent a “humorous” email to her friends and inner circle to refer to her as “Catherine” instead of Kate ahead of her wedding.

He says it was a sign she understood her life was due to change with her nuptials, and was looking to the future.

“It was unclear if she did not like being called ‘Kate’ or whether it was part of a bigger preparation for her formal public role as Prince William’s future wife, but it appears that she had a genuine desire to go by her full name,” Jobson explained.
Kate Middleton was reportedly asked to change her name by King Charles and Queen Camilla (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)

What is the new name for Kate Middleton?

Following King Charles’ ascension to the throne when the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022, Kate Middleton’s title changed – and in doing so, the name most people use for the royal.

William and Kate became the Prince and Princess of Wales as the heir to the British throne.

Now, people call her Princess Kate, whereas before she was never referred to with a princess title – but she did have one.

On her wedding day, the late Queen Elizabeth II bestowed new titles to her and her groom – the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But Kate was still in her right to be called Princess William if she wished so, and if she wasn’t given the Cambridge title. However, she embraced it alongside her husband and so did their children.

When their three young children were at school, their surname was simply Cambridge. Although, it’s believed this has changed to Wales now.

Read more: Kate Middleton broke tradition on her wedding day to Prince William with iconic look