Kate Middleton’s Real Name And What She Really Likes To Be Called Most
You may know Prince William’s wife as Kate Middleton, but what is Kate’s true name and what does she really like to be called? Do friends and the royal family call her Kate being closed doors? Often referred to by the press as the Duchess of Cambridge or Princess William of Wales, she is also affectionately known to the public as Kate Middleton, muse to fashion designers and a devoted fan base who desire to follow her lead in clothing, a phenomenon that has been called the “Kate Middleton Effect.”
Fans of Kate Middleton might be interested to know that Prince William really refers to Kate as Catherine. This is because she was born as Catherine Elizabeth Middleton. But how did her nickname of Kate come about and did her schoolmates also call her that, along with those close to her while she was growing up? As it turns out, when the Duchess of Cambridge was growing up in the village of Bucklebury, she was also called Catherine by all of those around her. She was not yet known as Kate then either.
It was actually after Kate Middleton was older and began studying art history in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews that the nickname of Kate finally stuck. Once Kate and Prince William got married in 2011, her official title became Catherine Elizabeth, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.
According to Pop Sugar, Catherine Elizabeth, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge is also the name that is on Prince George’s birth certificate, showing that this is her official name now. Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royal family also call Kate Middleton Catherine, just like Prince William.
However, Kate still has a wide variety of nicknames and even joke names, and during a BBC Radio 1 interview on Scott Mills’ show in April one of them was revealed. Kate Middleton and Prince William mentioned the nickname after admitting that one of their favorite things to do as a couple was to get comfortable on the sofa and watch episodes of television shows like Homeland while they enjoyed a curry.
Prince Harry also likes to visit and enjoy a curry and TV with Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Harry has been known to call Kate “Cath,” as the International Business Times report. Mills took this time to mention that he had also heard a podcast one time where Middleton had been referred to as “Cath” by Harry and was curious about its origin.
“I heard a podcast with Prince Harry where he said ‘William and Cath’ and that really confused me. Is that just a thing in the family?”
Kate Middleton jokingly said that while she may not necessarily be used to being called “Cath,” she will answer to most names.
“I’m not sure. I’m not that familiar with it. I’ll answer to most things though.”
In case you wonder if you should also be calling Kate Middleton Catherine, as Prince William and the rest of the royal family do, Middleton doesn’t actually mind being called Kate after all. In 2011, when Kate was visiting Northern Ireland with William, a woman standing outside of Belfast City Hall asked Middleton what name she liked best. The National reported that the Duchess of Cambridge was absolutely fine with being called Kate.
“I’m still very much Kate.”
The official royal wedding website of Kate Middleton and Prince William also affirmed that the Duchess of Cambridge used both Kate and Catherine equally.
“Miss Middleton uses both names equally, and she has never expressed a preference for either Catherine or Kate since her engagement.”
Now that you know Kate Middleton is fine with being called both Kate and Catherine, which name do you like best?
[Featured Image by WPA Pool/Getty Images]
