Bizarre Reason Why Charles Asked Kate Middleton to Change Her Name Before Marrying William

Middleton ultimately chose to stick with 'Catherine', politely rejecting the suggestion by her in-laws.

Prince Harry once made a bombshell claim that involved his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. In his controversial memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex revealed that his father, King Charles, and Queen Camilla asked Middleton to change her name before marrying Prince William. The reason reportedly had more to do with royal formality than personal preference. Charles and Camilla suggested that Middleton swap the ‘C’ in her name, 'Catherine', for a ‘K’ to avoid any clash of initials within the royal family.

As reported by OK! magazine, Harry wrote, "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." Harry recalled William’s reaction to the bizarre request. He penned, "I turned to Willy, gave him a look that said, 'You listening to this?' His face was blank." Despite the discussion, Middleton chose to stick with 'Catherine', rejecting the suggestion by her in-laws, as reported by The Mirror.

Despite their difference in opinion, Middleton has had a very special bond with her father-in-law. Royal biographer, Sally Bedell Smith, shared, "He [Charles] has always had a very good bond with her. I don’t think it is presumptuous to say that she is like the daughter he never had. He shares with [Prince] William an impulse to protect her. They are in this together, Kate and the King." After the world learned of Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles was proud of her strength and grace in choosing to speak out with such courage.

Middleton was diagnosed just a few weeks after news of Charles' cancer broke, as reported by People magazine. At the end of the day, they were two people facing the same struggle, a palace insider ed, adding that this shared journey likely drew them even closer.

Speaking of names and titles, interestingly, the late Queen Elizabeth reportedly wasn’t keen on Middleton being addressed as 'Princess', as reported by Marca. However, after Charles succeeded to the throne upon the death of his mother on September 8, 2022, William and Middleton were given their new titles as Prince and Princess of Wales. Meanwhile, in another curious passage from his memoir, Harry pulls the curtain to reveal his father’s bizarre admiration for Middleton’s hair, revealing it was a recurring topic of conversation. According to Harry, both Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth loved a natural look, with hair flowing freely and minimal makeup. It was this very royal preference that led Meghan Markle to opt for loose waves and minimal makeup during her first-ever meeting with Charles and Camilla at Clarence House, as reported by Marie Claire.