Although the late Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton had a very close bond – and one which seemingly became even stronger as the years went on – the late monarch reportedly didn’t want to make her granddaughter-in-law a princess when she married her grandson, Prince William.
According to reports, Prince William asked his grandmother to give his soon-to-be wife a ‘Princess’ title after they officially got married in April 2011, but the Queen did not oblige. Keep reading for more details.
Prince William's Request To Give Kate Middleton A 'Princess' Title Was Denied By The Late Queen Elizabeth II
Instead of making Kate Middleton a princess in 2011, the late Queen instead gave her the Duchess of Cambridge title after the royal wedding. She also gave her grandson the Duke of Cambridge title to match.
Of course, Prince William and Kate took over the Prince and Princess of Wales title (previously held by King Charles and the late Princess Diana) after the Queen's death in September 2022. But why was she reluctant to hand over a Princess title back in 2011? A royal courtier weighed in…
Speaking to the Telegraph, a royal courtier detailed a conversation Prince William reportedly had with his grandmother prior to the royal wedding. "He says he was born Prince William and wants to continue to be known as that," the courtier recalled, in reference to him wanting to keep his Prince title and not use his new Duke of Cambridge title.
"William also had views on the name Kate should have taken on. He wants Kate to become Princess Catherine," the courtier continued, before explaining that giving someone a Princess title is entirely down to the monarch. And it's a decision that doesn't come lightly!
Only The Monarch Can Change The Rules When It Comes To Giving Prince And Princess Titles
"Kate is a commoner and could not be known as 'Princess Catherine,'" royal historian Kenneth Rose said on the matter, according to The Express, in reference to the royal rules and traditions.
As outlined in The Royal Observer: "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." After their royal wedding, Kate became Princess William of Wales, which is the feminine form of her husband's title.
Rose went on: "It is up to the Queen what title she gives her and there have been one or two exceptions. He recalled: "When Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester died, the Queen gave the Duchess of Gloucester the title, Princess Alice. This was, though, to reward her for years of loyal service."
The Queen also made her late husband Philip a 'Prince of the United Kingdom' in 1957, after which he was known as Prince Philip.
The royal historian also went on to suggest that the Queen may not have wanted to go against tradition and make her new granddaughter a princess straight away, as she feared more royals would ask for title changes and upgrades.
