Prince William was reportedly furious after King Charles III and Queen Camilla floated the idea that Kate Middleton alter the spelling of her first name upon entering the royal family, according to claims made in a new biography.
In “Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen,” author Christopher Andersen writes that Charles and Camilla were worried about royal branding. Both already used monograms featuring interlocking C’s beneath a crown, Andersen said, and they allegedly feared that adding another royal cypher beginning with C would be excessive. The suggested solution: ask whether Kate would consider spelling her full name “Katherine” instead of “Catherine.”
Andersen claims the proposal landed badly with William. “Offended by yet another command from on high essentially aimed at placating Camilla,” the prince responded for his future wife, the author wrote. William allegedly told his father the request was “insulting” not only to Kate, but also to her entire family.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the palace does not comment on books.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Andersen said the alleged episode underscored the importance of image management inside the House of Windsor. “The entire nature of Charles and Camilla’s request — that Catherine was adding too many C’s to the royal crests — shows just how much image and branding means to members of the royal family. The monarchy really is a giant game of one-upmanship,” he said, adding that William has defended Kate from the earliest days of their relationship.
According to Andersen, William’s primary concern has long been the Princess of Wales’ “safety.” He pointed to the prince’s forceful reaction in 2012, when topless photographs of Kate sunbathing were published in France, as another example of William stepping in to protect her.
“He angrily ordered Palace lawyers to sue and even wanted to see those involved prosecuted criminally under French privacy laws,” Andersen said. He added that after the couple had children, William also worked to ensure Kate was not pushed into an overly demanding royal schedule if it meant spending too much time away from their family.
Andersen said Charles and Camilla may have expected Kate to agree because she was viewed as “a nice, cooperative team player.” But, he added, they did not account for how strongly she felt about her given name — or that she personally preferred to be known as Catherine, the name chosen by her parents.
While most of the world knows her by her nickname, Kate, her real name is Catherine.
The princess is “genuinely fond” of Charles and assumed that he got the “absurd” idea from someone else, Andersen explained, adding that she didn’t hold any ill will toward him.
“Besides, it wasn’t long before they were having to deal with their simultaneous cancer diagnoses, which put everything else in stark perspective,” he added.
And although Middleton comes off as “kind and compassionate,” she still has a “will of steel,” he said.
“Kate is very secure about who she is and how she wants to be perceived by the outside world,” Andersen said. “Changing her formal given name for such a bizarre, almost comical reason was a bridge too far.”
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard called the issue a “nonstarter” and a “lost cause,” telling Fox News Digital that Charles and Camilla were thinking with a “business head” since she was known to the world as Kate anyway.
“Although a hopeless endeavour, I can see both sides of the coin,” she admitted, explaining that William was not only offended for his wife but for his in-laws as well.
But “the concerns were brushed aside. It wasn’t important enough to cause a fight. They had bigger fish to fry.”
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner called it a possible “volatile moment” between Camilla and the princess as she joined the family, “but nowadays, William was there to protect her. Since then, Kate has managed to stay one step behind when Charles and Camilla are around so as not to outstage them.”
He noted, however, that more recently the 44-year-old is “building a stronger brand in her own right as William tries to take on the reins of Kingmanship.”
“If true, it’s idiotic,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital of the story. “The idea is simply stupid. And why? Because her name began with C and theirs did!”
Andersen also felt the incident “speaks volumes about how conscious the royals are of all the bells and whistles — not just the gold coaches, the castles, and the crown jewels, but things as small as the letters in their crests and coats of arms. It may seem trivial to the rest of us, but to them things like this mean everything.”
