Kate Middleton Trademarks Her Name To Benefit Palace Charity

Kate Middleton is trademarking her name, cementing the fact that she has become more than just the Duchess of Cambridge but an entire brand.

The effort to trademark her name is meant to benefit a good cause. The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge applied to the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to trademark a number of goods in Kate Middleton’s name, ensuring that its use will only benefit the charity.

Efforts to brand the duchess started shortly after her wedding to Prince William in an effort to protect her name for use on merchandise.

“Since the name change of the foundation last year, we have been registering our new name and logo in different territories around the world,” a royal spokesman told E! News. “As part of that process, we have to choose any categories under which we might conceivably operate in the future. This also protects the foundation against other people using its name illegally. We included clothing in case we choose, for example, to make t-shirts in years to come for marathon runners, etc.”

The foundation raises money for military veterans, disadvantaged children, and wildlife.

The trademarking effort comes after the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess saw its revenue take a dramatic jump. After raising £629,000 in 2010, the year before William and Kate announced their engagement, the foundation raised £4.8million in 2011.

“Since the name change of the foundation last year, we have been registering our new name and logo in different territories around the world,” said a palace spokesman.

“As part of that process, we have to choose any categories under which we might conceivably operate in the future. This also protects the foundation against other people using its name illegally. We included clothing in case we choose, for example, to make T-shirts in years to come, for marathon runners, etc.”

When Kate Middleton trademarked her name, it ensured that any retail products with her likeness or name would also feature the charity’s name on it.