Princess Kate may enjoy a good relationship with her father-in-law King Charles, but according to Prince Harry she refused one thing from him.
Princess Kate apparently refused to change her name for King Charles, according to a story recounted by Prince Harry in his memoir Spare.
The most senior members of the Royal Family have had to band together following Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure, with the King and Kate also going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment this year.
While this is bound to have made their bond stronger, it seems that Kate did not want to change the spelling of her name for the royals even though it might have made things less confusing when it came to royal cyphers.
The Duke of Sussex explained in his book: “There were already two royal cyphers with a C and a crown above: Charles and Camilla. It would be too confusing to have another.
“Make it Katherine with a K, they suggested. I wondered now what came of that suggestion.”
However it seems the Princess stuck to Catherine with a C.
Princess Kate has a good relationship with King Charles
Harry also said that at the time he turned to his brother Prince William to acknowledge the strangeness of the discussion, but got nothing back from him.
He wrote: “I turned to Willy, gave him a look that said ‘You listening to this? ‘ His face was blank.”
The potential disagreement does not seem to have affected the relationship between Kate and Charles, as he referred to her as his “beloved daughter-in-law” and praised her “courage” when she confirmed her cancer battle in a video message.
Former royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! about his statement: “I noticed in the King’s statement of support after Kate’s broadcast he said he was in the ‘closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law’.
“I was struck by the fact that he didn’t say close, but closest.”
Princess Kate has been fighting cancer like the King
She continued: “There’s no doubt that cancer has cemented an already strong relationship. It’s very touching to think of Charles toddling down the corridor to see Kate when they were both in hospital.
“And it is understood that the King was left very emotional after their one-on-one lunch at Windsor Castle the day after she recorded her broadcast.
“There are so very few people in whom a senior royal can confide, certain that everything they say will be secure.
“I’m sure that both Charles and Kate have found it comforting to be able to discuss their emotions as well as the chemotherapy treatment and how it has made them feel.”
The King has been very supportive of Kate
It is understood that the King and the Princess of Wales had an “emotional lunch” together at Windsor Castle before she revealed to the world that she had cancer.
The Mirror reported: “It is highly unusual for just the two of them to sit down together like this. The King knew that the woman he calls ‘my beloved daughter-in-law’ had cancer. They would have had lots to talk about because just a few weeks before the King had started his treatment and had to tell everyone about his diagnosis.
“The King left his lunch feeling very emotional. They are very close and he thinks of Catherine as his daughter. There is no doubt there is a lot they can share and can use each other for support during their own deeply personal cancer fights.”