Kate Middleton Was Pressured to Spell Her First Name Differently to Avoid Conflict With King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, Says Prince Harry
Prince Harry claimed his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, was pressured to spell her name differently to avoid conflict with King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. This explosive allegation was revealed in his book Spare.
Kate Middleton was asked to change her name for a specific reason, says Prince Harry
Prince Harry alleged in his autobiography Spare that King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, asked Kate Middleton to spell her name differently when she first joined the royal family. Reportedly, the king and queen consort wanted Kate to change the first letter of Catherine from a C to a K.
Per Express, Charles and Camilla were reportedly especially concerned over the use of Cyphers. These are the personal monograms of royal family members.
The traditional spelling of Kate Middleton’s birth name, Catherine, conflicted with that of the king and queen consort. They would have all used the single letter C, which the couple believed would confuse the public.
Harry wrote, “There were already two royal cyphers with a C and a crown above: Charles and Camilla. It would be too confusing to have another.”
He continued, “Make it Katherine with a K, they suggested.” The Duke of Sussex added that his brother, Prince William, did not respond to Charles’ request.
Harry commented the Prince of Wales had a “blank” response. He wrote, “I turned to Willy, gave him a look that said ‘You listening to this?'”
“His face was blank,” Harry concluded. “I wondered now what came of that suggestion.”
What is a royal cypher?
A royal cypher is a monogram which represents the reigning royal sovereign. Furthermore, it typically consists of the monarch’s initials and title, with a crown added.
Charles’ cypher was revealed in September 2022. It is an intertwined C and R, which stands for Rex, with the Roman Numeral III. In addition, atop the monogram is the Tudor Crown, which is used on bank notes, coins and stamps.
Camilla’s cypher was revealed in November of the same year. Her monogram is made of script letters C and R, representing Regina, alongside a crown representation. Thus, she uses it on personal letterheads, cards and gifts.
“The cypher is the queen Consort’s personal property and was selected by Her Majesty from a series of designs,” Buckingham Palace said. “It will be used by the queen consort on personal letterheads, cards and gifts, as well as on the cross that Her Majesty will lay at the Field of Remembrance on Thursday, 10 November 2022.”
Does Kate Middleton have a cypher as Princess of Wales?
Presently, Kate Middleton has a cypher as the Princess of Wales. Consequently, her monogram is a script C with a crown to represent her status within the royal family.
Hence, Kate also shares one jointly with her husband, Prince William. But, their first initials are not combined. A “C” for “Catherine,” Kate’s full name, sits atop a black “W.”
Both letters are in cursive. Likewise, a coronet that features crosses pattee and fleurs-de-lys sits atop their initials.
The royal family has not officially commented on the allegations made by Prince Harry in Spare. The book was released in January 2023.
