Calling her Kate Middleton seems so disrespectful

[LighthouseTheme]

In the midst of all this, I hope that anyone who reports on or speaks about the matter can refrain from calling her Kate Middleton. She is the Princess of Wales, and that's that.

Other than that, I sincerely pray that she and the family are offered privacy and respect that they themselves ask for, and deserve.

I think a lot of it is generational. Younger women keep their names more, and are alive to the possibility that other women might too. Also younger people are less subservient to the royal trappings.

The rest of it is SEO optimisation.

You can't stop progress.

Yes but I imagine a lot of British people feel the same tbh.

It has never seemed right - as I said, there is often no consistency.
So, yes it did "matter" (to me - a little), before this, and makes a mockery of the titles that she has been given.
She is now a royal, and there we are. Maybe she wishes she were still Hockey Team Captain - but times have changed for her too.
I don't find myself actually referring to her out loud anyway - but have just heard at the start of Any Questions that she is referred to as the Princess pf Wales, and I think that that would have sounded quite odd as "Kate Middleton".... It would sort of detach her from the family that she has, and the larger Royal Establishment.

(And those who want to mock this thread and me - take a look at yourselves too.)

Yes but I imagine a lot of British people feel the same tbh.

Yes, me included. It's so old fashioned.

@literally it is a very old tradition in Scotland. Women were known and are known by their maiden names and take them to the grave.

This is true. Dh is French. They all referred to Diana as Lady Di, pronounced “Ladie Dee”. We didn’t call them The DOY or the POW.

Good grief, why do people act like she's some sort of deity. Kate Middleton is her name.

Unfortunately you can't police what other people call her.

Oh yes OFC. This obsession with KM's married title is an English kind of old fashioned then.

She's got a hell of a lot more to worry about at the moment than what name social media is calling her by. Honestly.

Didn't she say years ago that she didn't mind what name she was called, anyway?

She seems pretty chilled.

Apart from anything else, it's just sloppy "journalism". The DM has a lead article referring to her as Kate Middleton, AND the Princess of Wales. They need to pick a lane.

And I still think it's disrespectful. Me doing so is not (obviously - as I would be failing if that's what I was trying to do....) "policing" what people do. It's. An. Opinion.

I think tonight was one of the few times I have actually said her name out loud to be honest. I have never ever put any of her names into a search engine, so the SEO doesn't matter to me. I am not a Royalist, or even a fan particularly, and this is not an attempt to deify her for God's sake. Although that will happen..... and is at least better than all the (verging on libellous) shit that has been going round until now. Especially on here.

[And anyone who abbreviates it to PoW is just an idiot.]

The US spokesperson just called her Duchess of Cambridge at a press conference today.

These titles are out of date. Most members of the royal famiky are referred to by their first names in everyday talk. The titles belong to written/print media only.

LighthouseTheme

In the midst of all this, I hope that anyone who reports on or speaks about the matter can refrain from calling her Kate Middleton. She is the Princess of Wales, and that's that.

Nobody in their right mind can be this obsequious.

Jesus wept.

I mean, get her name right - be consistent. I don't care much about the royals one way or another - but I am pedantic about names.

Read my post above.

Why indeed.

Huh?

I think people should always be called what they call themselves / wish to be called..
I don't think she refers to herself as Kate Middleton

Precisely!

So much more succinct than me.

So, yes it did "matter" (to me - a little), before this, and makes a mockery of the titles that she has been given.

Lots of people see the Royals and their titles that they are given as a joke. Thankfully we don’t have to see them as more important than anyone else if we don’t want to.

Unfortunately you can't police what other people call her.

I think it’s fortunate that our speech can’t be policed in this way. It’s Britain in 2024, imagine having to ‘respect’, a Royal family.

It’s strange that when she has just announced that she is undergoing cancer treatment, this is what concerns the OP. 🤯

Well personally I try and be respectful to most people. If they've changed their name (such as following marriage) I use the new one when talking about them.

“aitch” thread?

@LighthouseTheme Princess Diana was called "Lady Di" for years after she married Charles. Up to her death by some people.

I always think of this line from 'Whatever Love Means' by David Baddiel when we call Kate Middleton "Kate Middleton". It's not disrespectful, it's just ingrained for a lot of us to call her by what she was called when we first heard of her. Especially, I think, because they've pushed the name "Catherine" since she was married, which isn't the same name she was first introduced to us as.

OP, what are you like😂

I think her maiden name being used is the least of her worries. But thank god she has you policing it on her behalf. 🙄

I'll never understand why anybody cares about how a HRH, prince, princess or otherwise is addressed.