Kate Middleton and Prince William got married more than a decade ago in 2011, but people still frequently use the Princess of Wales’ maiden name.
And an expert has explained the reason why.
The royal couple met while they were both studying at the prestigious St Andrews University.
However, it took them a while to get together as Kate recalled during their engagement that when they met, she went ‘bright red’ and William ‘scuttled off’.
The pair managed to become ‘close friends’ and even lived together with their friendship circle during their time at the Scottish university. Their relationship reportedly turned romantic after William saw Kate in the now-famous sheer dress during a charity fashion show.
While they briefly took a break to take ‘just a bit of space’ five years into their relationship, they couldn’t stay apart for too long and later rekindled their romance.
The Prince and Princess of Wales ended up getting married in 2011 and soon welcomed their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis afterwards in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
But, despite having her royal title for more than a decade, people often still refer to the princess by her maiden name ‘Middleton’.
PR expert Megan Boyle told express.co.uk that it’s likely due to the ‘fairytale aspect’ of her relationship with Prince William.
She explained: “Ultimately, we’ve always known Kate Middleton as Kate Middleton, and sometimes it’s hard to break the habit.
“She’s been in our lives for so many years now, that fans of the Royals have this almost parasocial relationship with her. Part of the appeal of Kate and William’s relationship is the fairytale aspect: dating, engagement, then marriage to an actual prince – almost as if something similar could happen to us.
“It stands as a reminder that the name won over so many people in the first place; she’s just a normal person like you and me – who just so happens to be a princess.”
On top of this, Boyle said that social media and SEO – the act of improving your website’s visibility in search engine results – play a huge part.
“Of course, there’s also the internet playing a big part here,” she continued. “From an SEO perspective, the internet knew Kate Middleton as Kate Middleton first and foremost, and people still overwhelmingly search for ‘kate middleton’ as opposed to ‘princess catherine’ – so the media outlets are unlikely to risk losing their real estate on Google by changing how they refer to her.
“From Kate Middleton, to Duchess of Cambridge, to Princess of Wales to eventual Queen – many media outlets will just bypass the SEO headaches and stick to the name the British public have known and loved for years.”