Prince William's wife holds the title of Princess of Wales. She also carries the secondary title of Countess of Chester and is referred to as the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland. Although she is not known to be upset over royal status, it has been revealed that Prince William allegedly struggled to understand why his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, didn’t bend the rules for his new wife.
A palace courtier has disclosed that when William married Catherine, he initially wanted to forgo the dukedom and retain just his Prince title. He also had a specific title in mind for his bride. This request to his grandmother was reportedly made in the lead-up to their lavish wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. William expressed his desire to continue being known as Prince William and wanted his wife to be styled as Princess Catherine. However, at that time, Catherine was a commoner and could not be referred to as Princess Catherine unless she held the prince’s princess style from birth. Traditionally, women marrying princes take on the feminine equivalent of their spouses' styles and titles.
Despite William's wishes, his grandmother was determined to give the future king a dukedom and make Catherine a duchess rather than a princess. This means that referring to female royal consorts as "Princess" followed by their given name is technically incorrect. If Prince William's wife had been given the title of Princess Catherine immediately after their wedding, other extended royal family members might have followed suit with their own requests for title changes.
Interestingly, Catherine isn’t the only family member who was denied a princess title by the Queen. In fact, she also declined to grant it to her favorite in-law, Sophie, the wife of Prince Edward. Sophie had hoped for this title when she married the Queen's youngest son, but the late monarch refused. Fortunately, both women eventually found their titles: Catherine now has a princess title, while Sophie was promoted to the coveted title of duchess.
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, passed away on September 8, 2022. Her death was mourned by numerous members of the royal family, as well as politicians, actors, musicians, sports stars, and fans from all walks of life. During an hour-long discussion, Prince Harry reflected on the loss of his beloved grandmother. He shared a fleeting moment of dark humor that briefly reconnected him with his estranged brother, Prince William. "Just recently, my brother and I were walking the same route, and we sort of joked to each other and said, 'At least we know the way,'" he recounted. Sadly, the brothers walked this path to honor their grandmother.
Harry appeared to long for that same unity as they came together to pay homage to the late monarch. During Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, he seemed regretful as he watched his brother standing in line, often glancing in his direction. He witnessed the nephew he had adored and the sister-in-law he had cherished pass in front of him without a single glance back. The contrast was stark compared to the experience of the estranged brothers during their mother’s funeral in 1997, where they had walked together behind Princess Diana’s coffin at just 15 and 12 years old.
Harry and Meghan began dating in 2016, and their relationship progressed fairly quickly compared to Prince William's eight-year courtship with Catherine before proposing. In his memoir, Harry recalled feeling nervous when asking the Queen for permission to propose to Meghan. The next line from his book was particularly revealing: "At last she replied, 'Well then, I suppose I have to say yes.'" This response raised concerns, suggesting the Queen was not jumping for joy but rather relenting because she loved her grandson. It may have had less to do with Meghan as an individual and more to do with the fact that they had only been publicly dating for a year.
