PRINCESS Kate told her close friends she would be going by a new name before she got engaged to Prince William, claims a royal expert. The future queen is said to have wanted to ditch the informal “Kate” for a more regal moniker and sent a “humorous email” to her pals informing them of the change. In a new biography about the royal mum-of-three Robert Jobson claimed that the name change occurred in 2008 as speculation about the couple’s engagement reached a fever pitch.
She allegedly told her inner circle that she would be known going forwards by “Catherine”, rather than “Kate.” He wrote: “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." The name change “only added to the speculation” that Prince William was about to pop the question, claims Robert.
William eventually proposed to his wife in 2010 and they tied the knot in April 2011 in a fairytale wedding watched by millions around the globe. Following the nuptials, Kate became formally known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She used this title until September 2022, when she was given the new title of the Princess of Wales , following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II .
Previously Princess Diana had held this title. Most read in Royals Prince Harry opened up about Kate’s name in his bombshell Spare memoir.