The Royal Family seem to collect titles as others might collect trading cards. Prince William, for example, is famously the Prince of Wales, heir to his father’s throne, but his other official titles include Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus (I kid you not). For the prince, then, names are very important, which is why he allegedly can’t stand Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest slight.
At present, William is believed to be hyper-protective of his wife, Princess Catherine, colloquially known by her maiden name Kate Middleton, given how taxing this year has turned out to be for the 42-year-old mother of three, and potential future queen, amid her cancer diagnosis. That apparently extends to even the smallest of slip-ups from his brother and sister-in-law that should, by rights, also put half of the internet on his hit list.
Harry and Meghan blasted for the “bloody rude” way they addressed Kate Princess Catherine after her cancer diagnosis
Harry and Meghan truly can do no right in the eyes of their estranged sibling (in-law), as William has supposedly taken umbrage with them for something that many of us do all the time but which is said to have set the prince’s teeth on edge. Namely, referring to Princess Catherine as Kate.
When speaking to The Daily Beast, an unnamed close friend of the Waleses criticized the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their “unnecessary and deliberate” decision to get William’s goat by exclusively referring to Kate… I mean, Catherine by her nickname. The friend noted, “even when they were sending her get-well-soon messages after her cancer diagnosis.”
“William takes offence at people calling Catherine ‘Kate’, because she has asked to be known as Catherine. It’s a fairly simple wish to respect. I’m sure Meghan wouldn’t like it if William started publicly calling her ‘Meghan Markle.’”
The family friend went on to admit that, while this might seem “utterly trivial,” it is a pet peeve of the prince’s that Harry and Meghan would definitely be aware of:
“Of course it’s an utterly trivial thing, but those of us who know William know that it is one of the things that pushes his buttons. Pushing his buttons while he was going through his wife’s cancer seemed an entirely unnecessary and deliberate irritation.”
The Daily Beast also spoke to another unnamed friend of William’s who went even further in their response to Harry and Meghan’s slight against Ka- Catherine! I said Catherine. Please don’t throw me in the Tower of London, Your Highness.
“No one’s saying it’s responsible for all the trouble, but deliberately calling someone by a name they don’t like is just bloody rude. If Harry and Meghan were serious about healing their issue, a good first step would be to call her Catherine.”
It is a fact that the Sussexes like to call Catherine — Kate! No, wait, Catherine! — by her nickname. “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” the couple said in their response to the news of the princess’ diagnosis in March. To the rest of the world, this simply read as a personal touch, putting aside any formality between the two couples in this time of hardship to indicate that they still count her as family. But apparently, it just made William “furious.”
Would a well-wish addressed to any other name be as sweet? For William, that’s a big, fat no.
