I have a few pet peeves in life – people who eat with their mouth open (or no table manners in general), slow walkers in front of me, and when the Duchess of Cambridge gets called ‘Kate Middleton’.
While I fully understand that those who are not royal watchers will get it wrong, major publications have no excuse. This year will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 5th wedding anniversary so it is about time we all get her name right!
Catherine or Kate ceased to be ‘Kate Middleton’ on April 29, 2011, the day she married Prince William. The couple were then granted the titles the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. When most couples get married the wife takes her husband’s surname, the same went for their marriage. The official web page for the Royal Family states William’s last name as Mountbatten-Windsor, although in the past, including school, he was enrolled as ‘William Wales’ after taking the ‘Wales’ from his father’s title – Prince of Wales. The website also explains that those with the “style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname” but when needed like the case of marriage, Mountbatten-Windsor is used. So currently, Catherine could use Cambridge or Mountbatten-Windsor for a surname if ever needed.
Having no use for a last name makes sense because how many times have you said Prince William and someone has said “who?” in reply?
Which brings me to another point, Kate is not ‘Princess Kate’ either. Â Confusion struck when on Prince George’s birth certificate Kate’s profession was listed as ‘Princess of the United Kingdom’, yet as Royal Central explored in the past she takes the female form of her husband’s title becoming “Princess William”. Even though William might be granted the Prince of Wales title when his father Prince Charles is crowned King, Kate would once again only adopt the title ‘HRH Princess of Wales’ still not making her ‘Princess Kate’ but just ‘Catherine, HRH Princess of Wales’. This is the same as Diana, who was never ‘Princess Diana’ that was just what the media and public called her, not her actual title.
This discussion has been had many times by different outlets, unfortunately sometimes getting it wrong. So can we please finally settle this once and for all, if you like to refer to her call her ‘Duchess of Cambridge’. If you really must add princess in there you could call her “Princess William” but that is really only correct when using her full title.
So now I have this off my chest I will sleep better tonight knowing that hopefully, at least, someone will get it right- Mum that includes you!
Photo Credit:Â “Duchess of Cambridge June 2013” by Carfax2 – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duchess_of_Cambridge_June_2013.jpg#/media/File:Duchess_of_Cambridge_June_2013.jpg
It’s for SEO reasons. Because magazines and blogs and other online publications want the hits and they know that the regular Jane Q Public is more likely to remember “Kate Middleton” than her actual correct title. Also, a large part of the public that is interested in her is American, and Americans just don’t do titles. Many more people than you think do not know who the Duchess of Cambridge is. But they know Kate Middleton. It’s cynical and lazy, and it bugs me too, but it’s all about getting yourself listed high on a search result so you get those advertising clicks.
Kate is not global like Diana was.
Thank you!! It drives me crazy whenever I see “Kate Middleton”, often AFTER Duchess of Cambridge. The worst offender in my opinion is Hello! magazine. The American magazine, People, pretty much only refers to the young woman as “Princess Kate” which I, as an American, knows is totally incorrect. Please believe me when I tell you that some of us Americans DO know how to correctly use titles.
…which I, as an American, know….
It’s because she was in the public eye for 10 years when she was Kate Middleton so it stuck.
That is such a shoddy excuse! Do you expect people to call you by your maiden name if you took on a different surname after marriage just because they associated you with your maiden name since birth and ‘it stuck’?
It’s hard to get over having to call a cheat, phony, liar and conniving gold-digger anything other than Waity Kate, Wasty, slag, you name it.
That’s an even worse excuse. Your personal opinion does not change her name. She is officially married and, regardless of your personal issue with her or anything she has ever done, you are only being disrespectful.
I think if Kate had a real issue with it, her publicist would have done something about it. Maybe she is proud of her last name?
Papers use what names will sell paper/get hits. Her publicist has already mentioned the palace would be ok with “Princess Kate”, yet you very seldom see that used.
You don’t see it use because technically she isn’t a princess. You only carry prince or princess before your name if you were born into the role. It was never Princess Diana, it was Diana, Princess of Wales. But everyone called her Princess Diana.
Both ladies are/were princesses. Diana was Princess Charles and Catherine is Princess William. Just as Marie-Christine is Princess Michael of Kent. But you are correct in that only Princesses of the Blood are called Princess Given Name. Unless the Monarch decides to gazette them as such. For example, letters patent issued by George V in 1917 stated the “eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales shall enjoy the styles and titles of Prince and Royal Highness.” Queen Elizabeth extended this to include all children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales as Princes and Princesses. Without this extension, Princess Charlotte would have been styled as the daughter of a Duke; Lady Charlotte of Cambridge.
And petty.
Oh, please – As an American, do you know that Kate Middleton is barren and she pretended to be pregnant twice? I knew years ago. haha.
If you are that fond of the Nazi royal family, maybe you would like to contribute to their up keep?
OMG who cares. The media will always refer to her as Kate Middleton because she was in the public eye for 10 years before she got married you know.
She has been married for 5 five years, surely it is not that difficult to give her the right title. I don’t think there is any excuse not to do so.
Kate Middleton is easier to remember
Your laziness won’t be forgotten either.
KATE MIDDLETON!
Kate Middleton should be known as The Duchess of Cambridge. Princess William. As The Duchess did not have a title prior to her marriage because she was a commoner.
Princess Michael of Kent has inherited her husbands name as she too was a commoner.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte out rank their mother since they are born into royalty.
Princess Diana deserves the title of Princess Diana and would have been known as Queen Diana if she and Charles had suceeded to the throne. As Princess Diana was royalty and had the title of Lady prior to her marriage.
Camilla never received the title of Princess of Wales when she married Prince Charles as shes a commoner. If Prince Charles becomes King. Camilla will become Queen Consort.
I agree with not using the proper title when writing about The Duchess of Cambridge.
I was told it was used as a google search. I have noticed with Hello Magazine in Canada, they will say The Duchess of Cambridge nee Kate Middleton. I sometimes think media will put it out there in a title that fits the article the best.
Being that I’m British and this is my royal family and the Queen watches over our Commonwealth it does bother me a bit. But I’ve learned that any articles that incorrectly address the royal is usually incorrect with their information so I don’t read the article.- In my opinion.
I like what you wrote, but some of your details regarding titles are incorrect.
Being born as a commoner has no bearing on the type of title one receives upon marriage into the royal family. Diana was aristocracy before she married Prince Charles, but not royalty. If she had still been his wife when he inherits the throne, her title would’ve been HM The Queen. She wouldn’t be HM Queen Diana unless she outlived King Charles III.
Camilla doesn’t use the title Princess of Wales because of it’s recent association with Diana, not because she was born a commoner. But from a legal standpoint, she is now the rightful holder of that title, whether she chooses to use it or not. For obvious reasons, it was very wise of her to take the female form of one of Charles’ other titles, Duke of Cornwall.
Well said and absolutely correct…
Thank you, My Lady.
A lady isn’t royalty. A lady is a commoner.
Princess Diana was Lady Diana Spencer prior to marrying Charles. She was hand selected because she was royalty, among her other qualifications.
From the point of view of royalty, there are two classes of people; royal and common. A person is either one thing or the other. Aristocrats are all commoners, not royalty.
Read Anna’s comment again.
Almost true.There is royalty, the nobility, and commoners. Whilst Lady Diana had a courtesy title as the daughter of an Earl, she only gained that in 1975, when her father inherited the Earldom. Prior to that, she was the Honourable Diana Spencer, not even a ‘Lady’. She was a commoner until she married the Prince of Wales.
Diana was a member of the British aristocracy, but was not a princess. To be accurate, she should have been Princess Charles. But I prefer Princess Diana, even though it’s not accurate.
She was a commoner, as was Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon before she married the future King George VI.
She was not royal.
I thought Diana was in reality by bloodline more royal than Charles.
Interestingly, Diana’s family, the Spencers, did go back to the Stuart dynasty (Charles I, Charles II, etc.) After the death of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the dynasty was finished as the royal house. This state of affairs had a lot to do with the Stuarts being Roman Catholic and the English nation rejecting Catholicism. Yes, in a big way, Diana was in a direct line to the throne more than Charles whose heritage took a big detour to Germany and the family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Camilla is legally the Princess of Wales. She and Charles decided she would use his subsidiary title of the Duke of Cornwall, and be styled the Duchess of Cornwall. The United Kingdom has no morganic marriage. When you wed a titled man, you assume the title and style of your husband, regardless of your previous rank. Diana was technically a commoner, as she held no title in her own right. She was styled Lady Diana as her father was Earl Spencer. But she certainly was of an aristocratic family. As is the Duchess of Cornwall.
Does that mean she will be queen (or at least entitled to the title of queen) when Charles becomes king? If not, why not?
She will automatically become HM Queen Camilla when the Prince of Wales becomes HM King Charles III.
Yes, Camilla will legally be Queen Consort. In English law, a wife shares her husband’s rank. Should she choose not to be know as Queen Camilla, that’s ok, as well. She could use a subsiderary title of Charles’, i.e. Duchess of Lancaster, as she is doing now as the Duchess of Cornwall. Or Charles could create the title Princess Consort. But there is no precedent for using a lesser rank for a laefully wedded wife. Wallis Simpson was still The Duchess of Windsor, even though the king denied her the style of her Royal Highness.
Honestly, I don’t understand why people give a damn. The marriage of Charles and Diana didn’t work. Let it go.
who cares? there are more pressing issues at hand.
Kate Middleton no longer exists. Refer to her as the Duchess of Cambridge, right next to her photo. People will figure it out.
I entirely support you.Stop calling her Kate Middleton.She is Diana 2nd.if given a chance.
Lazy housewives living off a man don’t have a right to dictate to others. Respect is EARNED.
How about the Stalker Mattress?
Seriously, the Dutchess deserves that respect !!!
Does anybody who sells the goods deserve respect?
Someone who stalked a meal ticket, played around at Maison de Bang Bang, spent her 20’s as an on call booty call, and fell out of limos drunk and knickerless doesn’t deserve respect. She is cheap, lazy, self-serving, and let’s face it, a Middleton. The lowest of the low. 🙂
So let me get this right. Because a wealthy woman married an even wealthier man and now literally has no real responsibility, that magically garners respect? If you want to call her duchess of blah blah to be proper or whatever that’s fine, but please let’s not pretend like Kate Middleton deserves respect for being handed something for free.
Are you really so dense to think that the article was about that? For crying out loud it’s a traditional name change but if you must stick to your guns on it, at least provide her the respect of accepting her married name. Her surname is not Middleton as she has been married for the past 5 years. If you want to call her something with less title, then it would be Catherine (Kate) Mountbatten-Windsor at the very least. That is what the article was about…not some debate on standing British Titles.
Wasty Kate doesn’t deserve respect – her own mother wh$red her out to the highest bidder. She stalked a rich man and by all accounts, CHEATED her way to a degree, lived as a drunken, knickerless beck and call mattress for YEARS, and pretended to be pregnant because she is unable to have children. She is a hot, pathetic mess. She has earned NOTHING in her entire life.
You say the Duchess of Cambridge is unable to bear children. Where did you get your information?
Worst kept secret in the U.K. – it’s obvious she never did, name one sign of pregnancy she had, and the constantly shifting padding isn’t one.
You keep saying things like that but you still haven’t supplied one shred of objective evidence.
You’re nothing but a republican troll, and you can expect to be banned once Royal Central notices your hateful comments.
I’m really interested in hearing about your sainthood and your shining perfection. You don’t even understand how your problem this person is not even remotely related to the discussion. Go find a discussion about her accomplishments and vent your disgruntlements where they belong.
Get a job now, bitter housewife – see, not all of us are obsessed with cheaters and grasping booty calls who pretended to be pregnant twice. Face it, girly, your idol is cheap, unpopular, lazy and barren. Now work on your miserable life – you DO look miserable and one can SEE why. Ugh.
What the actual eff is wrong with you? Please, for your own sake, get a life. lol.
Aren’t you precious, dear.
Why does she have an Adam’s apple? Maybe Wasty should hire better PR, those oversexed personal assistants are too busy
Be quiet, you fool.
Run back to Juggers and Council Carol for more advice, dear – Wasty is beyond unpopular now. Beggars cannot be choosers.
I don’t know what about this article about finally ceasing to call the Duchess of Cambridge “Kate Middleton” after five years of marriage has angered you. This comment was nothing about respect, from where her income derives or whether you like her or not. It is simply a comment about finally using a married woman’s correct name five years and two children after the wedding. Years ago, I remember how irritating it was to read constantly about “Lady Di” many years after her wedding to a Prince Charles. Same thing here. Your concerns could very well be addressed in a future discussion.
I agree I have gotten so tired of hearing her called Kate Middleton . Why is it so hard for people to say Duchess Catherine or HRH Duchess of Cambridge she is no longer Kate Middleton . William calls her just Kate or Catherine but she is his wife.
I think Duchess Catherine deserves to be called Duchess of Cambridge .Her husband is a Prince from birth and she has bore 2 children A Prince and a Princess.
She is barren and was never pregnant. Another thing they are hiding but intelligent people all over the planet know.
Must you reply to every comment with your crazy conspiracy theories? Pipe down ya looney!
It’s fact, you stupid fool. Why don’t you pipe down, you mindless loon, and start using your brain? Get a job, honey, you don’t have a right to tell intelligent, working people what to do.
Crazy housewife. Only loons are in your stinking lot of a family.
Oh, shut your stupid, annoying yap, you bitter, lazy housewife. Get a job and make something of your life, you crazy thing.
Tell your trashy, low-clas relatives what to do, toots, not intelligent people who unlike you, are NOT deluded. Beggars cannot be choosers now, parasite. Now just hush, fool.
Really? You tracked down every comment I made on articles to comment back. Looks like YOU are the one who needs to get a job (and a life). And thank you for proving how crazy you actually are.
Oh, get professional help now, you deluded, unhappy leech. Doubt a lazy-minded, confused and uneducated thing like you knows how to make a medical diagnosis. You are just sore you got owned. Get a life now, girly.
Oh trust me, no degrees needed. You make it blatantly obvious. Now move along. My friends and I are done laughing at you for now. So hilarious you used the word stalker before because that’s the words my friends used when they kept seeing my emails pop up with comments from my other articles. Had a nice laugh over lunch. Enjoy your day hun, but go troll someone else now.
Ad hominem, simple and plain.
The media are the media. Powerful image-making institutions and authoritative in the way they make a person beloved by the public . Kate Middleton as used name is neither insulting nor pejorative . It is part of the continuous campaign for the future Queen to remain beloved by the people .
Modern royalty resembles more the principate of Octavius Caesar than the court of Charlemagne. It needs the popular element to survive,like the Caesars needed the people of Rome to exist .
Simple as that …
Hmm, how about Stalker Kate, The Beck and Call Mattress, Her Royal BARRENess, the Lazy Slag, etc, etc, etc?
She’ll always be Kath Windsor to me, wife of Bill Windsor.
Gold digging, benefit scrounging bitch,
Quite honestly, who gives a f**k. Sooner we become a Republic and get rid of the scroungers the better.
I can not understand why the media insist on calling the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton after she married Prince William she lost her maiden name Middleton.!!!
A woman can keep her maiden name after marriage if she wishes so. I know, Mrs. Windsor didn’t, but the fact that a woman is married, doesn’t mean she has to take her husband’s name. Just saying.
As a senior member of the royal family, Catherine doesn’t need a surname but she has several to choose from if she wished.
She could use the dynasty’s name, “Mountbatten-Windsor,” or take a surname from her title, “Cambridge.” William used the surname “Wales” while in the military, so theoretically she could use it, too.
I thought that all direct heir’s to the throne was Windsor and all other descendent of Prince Philip was Mountbatten-Windsor? Am I wrong?
The name Mountbatten-Windsor is for members of the royal family who are descended from the Queen and Prince Philip, and who need a surname.
Not everyone in the royal family needs a surname, and many of them already have one. Charles’ surname now is Wales, but when he becomes King he won’t need one.
Some royals have several names to choose from. For example, William could use Mountbatten-Windsor, Wales, or Cambridge. During their military service, William and Harry used Wales as a surname, since it’s their father’s name.
As someone who claims to be a Royal Historian of twenty years (I can claim more than 60 years) I have to tell you once again that you are incorrect on a number of points in this response. Firstly Prince Charles’ surname/family name, as direct heir to the throne, is Windsor. His three siblings take the surname Mountbatten-Windsor in deference to their father Prince Phillip. Wales was used by William and Harry for convenience from their Father’s senior title as Prince of Wales but it is not Prince Charles’ family name it is a title.
Secondly, although legally the children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex may be Prince/Princess, they may not use that style. On the morning of Prince Edward’s marriage to Sophie he was created Earl of Wessex. At the same time HM The Queen granted Letters Patent to the effect that children of that marriage would take the style of an Earl. Their children are, therefore, Lady Louise Windsor and The Earl Severn.
Agreed, drives me crazy, “The Duchess of Cambridge….the former Kate Middleton “. Holy cow, she’s been married for 5 years.
Thank you! Couldn’t agree more!
This writer carefully details archaic values and history points that modern society will not observe. Certainly, they have value. They are excellent examples of spending a great amount of time and detail on class distinction, class rank and distance from the common man. The rules are meant to be exclusive, of course. But, no matter the cause, no matter the religion or lack of it, everything now must fit quickly onto the face of a cell phone. The concept of a Princess Kate just barely fits on such a screen. Thus, that is the new standard for generations.
Catherine Cambridge is very easy to remember! Should be simple even for the media.
Ignorant American News.
Catherine Cambridge sounds a little more euphonious. I beg to innovate.
Hello magazine are the biggest offenders – often saying “née Kate Middleton” – amateurish and unprofessional
As a Duchess, shouldn’t she be Lady Cambridge?
No, she’s the Duchess of Cambridge because she married the Duke. If she married a nobleman or a knight of ordinary station whose last name was Cambridge, then she’d be Lady Cambridge.
People, stop being so judgemental of Catherine!!! She’s a loving wife, mother and cares about people and wants to contribute to those in need. And, Yes, stop saying Kate Middleton!!!! Middleton is not her last name anymore. Only the truly ignorant and “press” call her Kate Middleton. She does deserve respect esp. towing the line within William’s family. Living her way of life now is not being given something for free. She has courage to be in that family. No wonder William wanted to spend this Christmas with his wife’s family. At least some normalcy for him, Catherine and the children.
She is Her Royal Highness The Dutchess of Cambridge. That is the fact whether one approves or not. When the Queen passes on William will be the Prince of Wales and Kate will then become a royal princess as the Princess of Wales.