'Princess Catherine' Denied: Late Queen Elizabeth Refused Prince William's Plea to Make Kate Middleton More Than a Duchess on Wedding Day
Kate Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day, but Prince William reportedly asked Queen Elizabeth II for a higher rank.
Although not known to get upset over royal status, Prince William allegedly didn't grasp why his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, failed to "bend the rules" for his new wife, Kate Middleton. The future king's request to Granny was reportedly made during the run-up to his and his future queen's lavish Westminster Abbey wedding on April 29, 2011.
"He says he was born Prince William and wants to continue to be known as that," one of the Queen's courtiers shared at the time. "William also had views on the name Kate should have taken on."
"He wants Kate to become Princess Catherine," the court assistant added. Kate is a commoner and could not be known as 'Princess Catherine.' However, it is up to the Queen what title she gives her and there have been one or two exceptions."
Unless styled with the prince/princess style from birth, women marrying princes will take on the feminine equivalent of their styles and titles. Once Meghan Markle, Lady Diana Spencer, Kate and many others said "I do," they then became HRH Princess Henry, Charles and William, etc. If a prince has a primary aristocratic title as well, the princess then popularly becomes known by that title in the feminine — Duchess of Sussex, Princess of Wales, etc.
Therefore, referring to any of these popular female royal consorts as "Princess" followed by their given birth name is not technically correct.
The future heir to the throne must have never gotten the memo.
However, Elizabeth II did make exceptions to this protocol throughout her long reign. She created her late husband, Philip, a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957. She also bent the rules for her late aunt, Princess Alice, who died in 2004.
"When Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester died, the Queen gave the Duchess of Gloucester the title Princess Alice," they further added. "This was, though, to reward her for years of loyal service."
The palace confidant suggested how the Duke of Cambridge-to-be would likely have been pressured not to make many changes when he was king.
That remains to be seen but with King Charles III's accession to the throne on September 8, 2022, Catherine could then use the title her spouse longed to hear when on the following day, the new monarch made his heir and daughter-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales will both become the King and Queen Consort of Great Britain upon the death of Charles III. It has been rumored that both are looking at exploring ways to change the British monarchy to reflect "both the old and the new."
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Marie Claire reported on the insider revelation.
