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In recent months, especially amid Megxit, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have emerged as the modern force in the British royal family. With Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry leaving royal life for a life in Los Angeles, the duo is now shouldering a lot more responsibility.

Though the pair have been married since 2011, as Prince William prepares in the coming years to take the throne, the Cambridges are solidifying their legacy and their roles. Though they’ve tried to implement some of the more approachable techniques that the Sussexes’ used, they are still very much a traditional couple.

In fact, there is a reason why Prince William calls Kate, Catherine when they are in public.

Kate Middleton takes on royal life the traditional way

While the Sussexes tried to shake things up, the Duchess of Cambridge has embraced the traditional values of the British royal family. “She knows the importance of the institution and her role to play,” an insider told People. “She knows that being a member of the royal family is a bit like having a contract, you sign on the dotted line and you deliver Kate is in her element right now, she’s really stuck at it and persevered with what she believes in.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge dated for nearly ten years before tying the knot in 2011. As a result, the duchess had ample time to unpack royal life and learn everything she needed to know in order to approach it successfully.

Royal commentator Rupert Bell explained, “In a way, Kate is a traditional, English rose as it were.”

Kate Middleton initially wanted to be known as Catherine

Though she was called Kate for most of her adult life, when the duchess and prince started discussing marriage, she tried to get people to begin calling her Catherine. However, by then she was known to the public as Kate, and it was far too late to switch things up.

Back in 2008, she sent out an email to her close friends with a rather awkward request. Columnist Adam Helliker told Sunday Express, that in the email, the duchess asked her friends to stop calling her Kate. Instead, she wanted to be called by her formal name, Catherine.

“With Prince William’s engagement now a surefire certainty (even Ladbrokes has stopped taking bets on whether it will happen after a flurry of well-placed wagers) there are intriguing signs that Kate Middleton is preparing for her future role,” Helliker explained. “It looks like she’s taking it very seriously indeed too. I hear that in the past few weeks the former accessories buyer has quietly informed friends that she would like to drop the informal ‘Kate’ and in future wishes to be known by her full name: ‘Catherine.’”

Prince William calls Kate Middleton, Catherine in public

When the duchess was in high school at Marlborough College she went by Catherine. However, upon enrolling in St. Andrews University, she shorted it. When the prince met his now-wife, she went by Kate. However, it’s viewed as more “dignified” and therefore “royal” to be known by your full name as a member of the royal family. The duchess tried to rebrand herself around her wedding, but it never really stuck.

“I think they thought it was more formal, more dignified, more royal,” royal correspondent Rebecca English told Express. “And to be fair, it is the name her family refers to her. Needless to say, though, they were pretty much ignored.”

However, the future Crowned King does call his wife, Catherine in public giving her the reverence she has earned.

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