She's Not Kate Middleton Anymore

William, Kate and Prince George are airborne as I type this, scheduled to land in Wellington, New Zealand early Monday morning local time, approximately 6.45 p.m. tonight here in Chicagoland, if what I read is correct. They'll be in the news a lot over the next three weeks as they tour NZ first then pop over to Australia before returning home on the 25th. With royalty on my mind I feel the need to rant about something that always bugs me: what is this woman's name?



VanityFair.com is currently running a story with the headline "What To Expect From Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince George's Australia Tour." This is sloppy in a couple of ways, but I'm going to ignore the fact that the family is going to New Zealand first. What's got me going today is the lazy use of Kate's maiden name. I understand why headline writers, editors and reporters struggle with what to call her. Titles for British royals can be complicated, and in spite of the fact that she is married to a prince, calling Kate Princess Kate (or Princess Catherine) is really not correct. Her official title is Duchess of Cambridge, but that's a bit of a mouthful, and Duchess Kate doesn't sound right either. The one thing I know for sure is that referring to William's wife as "Kate Middleton" is wrong and it just plain bugs me.