Royal tradition preventing Kate Middleton from becoming an official princess
There’s no doubting she’s the modern-day people’s princess, but is Kate Middleton actually a princess?
She’s married to a man who’ll one day be king (William), much like Princess Diana was (Charles). So why is Kate styled as the Princess of Wales, and formerly, the Duchess of Cambridge? To be a princess, an individual has to be born into the royal family, so why was Diana always called one?
Royal titles are appointed, set and overturned by the monarch, what would need to happen to make Kate Middleton an official princess and what has changed since she became the Princess of Wales?
Is Kate Middleton a princess?
Kate Middleton, formerly referred to as the Duchess of Cambridge is, in fact, a princess. “Princess of the United Kingdom” is also listed as her occupation on her children’s birth certificates.
However, there’s a rather complex reason as to why she isn’t styled as Princess Kate officially, or indeed Princess Catherine.
Kate is a princess by marriage, so is entitled to the HRH styling.
In the royal family, women have the title of either princess, duchess, countess or baroness.
And, as we all know, Kate was the Duchess of Cambridge thanks to the dukedom the queen bestowed on Prince William when they married in 2011.
Typically, the princess title is reserved for biological descendants of the reigning monarch. This would explain why Princess Charlotte has the title, but her mother, who married into the family, doesn’t.
However, following her role as the Princess of Wales since September 2022, the public has begun referring to the royal as Princess Kate. Following in the same footsteps as Diana decades before.
Why was Diana styled as a princess?
Well, this wasn’t an official title given to the Princess of Wales. Princess Diana was the name given to her by the public, but it was never her official title.
Instead, after marrying the then- Prince Charles she officially became Diana, Princess of Wales.
She took her title from her husband, so if she did want to style herself officially as a princess, her correct title would’ve actually been Princess Charles.
So, in that respect, Kate is actually a princess, but she would only be able to use the title if she referred to herself as Princess William.
What will happen to Kate’s title when William is king?
William and Kate will no longer be the Prince and Princess of Wales. Similarly to how King Charles relinquished the title when he ascended to the throne, William will have the power to bestow the title on the next heir, Prince George.
When he chooses to do this, will be down to William when he is the monarch. The Prince of Wales title is not inherited automatically. If Prince William were to become king sooner rather than later, he may decide to wait to make George the Prince of Wales.
After that, the heir will become King William, unless he chooses to rule under a different name. Kate Middleton, on the other hand, won’t be the Princess of Wales, but Queen Consort Catherine. This follows how Queen Camilla was crowned alongside her husband in May 2023. However, over time, the public may drop the ‘consort’ like Camilla and she becomes Queen Catherine.
Kate Middleton thought about ‘refusing Princess of Wales’ title
The royal reportedly considered not using the Princess of Wales title altogether, over fears she would be compared to her late mother-in-law, Diana.
Robert Jobson wrote in his book Catherine, The Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, that Kate Middleton considered ‘refusing’ the title and found the idea ‘stressful’.
He wrote: “She knew she’d inevitably be compared with Diana, whose untimely death had provoked such a tsunami of anger and grief. And she was right.
“Kate found all such talk stressful. Indeed, it got to the point where she felt she might follow Camilla (who opted to become Duchess of Cornwall) in refusing — when the time came — to be known as HRH Princess of Wales.”
Diana passed away in Paris in 1997, at 36 years old.
However, when the day came, she no longer had fears about the title.
Jobson continued that Kate “accepted her promotion with good grace, out of respect for her husband and the King. Enough time had passed to make the title more palatable, and Catherine had been on the world stage long enough to be appreciated for her own qualities.”
