Aug. 2, 2026
Kate or Catherine? The Palace Finally Settles the Royal Name Debate
A royal correspondent reveals what Buckingham Palace wants the Princess of Wales to be called—and why “Kate Middleton” refuses to disappear. Plus: George’s surprisingly normal birthday party, the Waleses’ summer photo album, royal words Charles supposedly avoids, and Princess Olympia’s lavish thirtieth birthday celebrations.
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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.
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Callarogus Shark Media. Hello, and welcome to Pallace Intrigue Game,
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your host, Mark Francis. One of the longest running debates
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among royal watchers isn't about succession or protocol. It's what
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to call the Princess of Wales? Is she Kate, Katherine,
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Kate Middleton or Katherine Princess of Wales? According to royal
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correspondent Simon Vigor, Buckingham Palace settled that question years ago,
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even if the media hasn't always followed along. Speaking to
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gb News while promoting his upcoming book The Four Wives
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of Windsor, Vigatold, Royal correspondents were quietly encouraged after William
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and Catherine's twenty ten engagement to use her birth name
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Katherine rather than Kate. That guidance Kane, despite Prince William
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himself referring to his fiancee as Kate during their engagement interview.
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Vigor said, Kate obviously works in a headline like Diane
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Meg but in the years after we were getting brief
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that it's Katherine. She's definitely Catherine. So why does Kate
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Middleton remain so common? Hello Magazine spoke with Andrew Coco,
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NBC's Universal's Senior director of Web Strategy and SEO, who
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said the answer has less to do with royal protocol
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than internet search habits. He said that millions of people,
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particularly in the United States, still search for Kate Middleton,
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making it the most recognizable term online. From a digital
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publishing perspective, using that name helps reader's fine stories, even
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though it isn't her official title. Here repealas intrigue, which
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primarily has an American audience. We primarily use Kate and
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or Kate Middleton for those sane reasons. We also tend
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to be casual, referring to our principal characters by their names,
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for example, Charles, rather than always using his formal titles.
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Kate's wardrobe often gets plenty of attention, but according to
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one hairstylist, it's her approach to here that maybe the
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real secret behind her consistently polished public appearances. Speaking to
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The Daily Male, hairstylist Tina Foray says the Princess of
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Wales relies on what she calls a core rotation of
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four classic hairstyles, rather than constantly reinventing her look. The
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first is perhaps Catherine's signature style, wearing her hair half
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up and half down. Foray says the look frames her face,
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highlighting her cheekbones, and works equally well for formal engagements
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and more relaxed appearances. For outdoor events, Catherine often switches
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to a practical ponytail, keeping her hair out of her
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face while maintaining a polished appearance. Another familiar look is
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the loose, flowing waves that have become closely associated with
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the princess over the years. Forrey describes them as mermaid waves,
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a style that has even appeared on Princess Charlotte. During
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recent public events and when the occasion calls for something
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more formal, Catherine frequently opts for a classic updoor or
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low bun, particularly state occasions, royal ascoton trooping the color.
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For A believes the strategy is intentional, she told The
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Daily Mail. Each look has established itself as a classic,
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which she can wear again and again, depending on the occasion.
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Prince George's thirteenth birthday was celebrated much like any other child's.
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One parent who attended the party told The Daily Beast,
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I went to the house for a kid's birthday party,
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and they were the ones organizing the games, any of
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us lot would get an entertainer and set in the
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house drinking rose. The birthday itself was marked publicly with
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a new portrait and a simple birthday message on the
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Prince and Princess of Wales's social media accounts, while the
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family reportedly celebrated privately with George's friends at home. As
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George enters his teenage years, that balancing acts between preparing
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a future king for public life while preserving as much
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normality as possible is likely to become one of William
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and Catherine's biggest parenting challenges. Keaton Williams shared a collection
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of photos and short videos on Instagram under the title
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Summer Rewind Thinking Supporters with the message thank you to
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everyone who has made the last few months so special.
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The post Office snapshot of the busy season for the
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Whales family. Among the images is the couple arriving at
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Royal Ascot, where Catherine wore a bright yellow outfit that
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William subtly matched with a yellow flower on its lapel.
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Another photograph shows the family relaxing outdoors with Prince George,
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Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis joined by the family's English
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cocker spaniels Uler and Otto. The picture was originally released
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in April to celebrate William and Catherine's fifteenth wedding anniversary,
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and was taken by photographer Matt Porteus. The carousel also
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revisits one of Catherine's most remarkable accomplishments this year, completing
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the three Peaks challenge. The princess claimed the highest mountains
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in England, Scotland and Wales within twenty four hours to
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raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The video
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portion of the post includes highlights from Sir David Attenborough's
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one hundredth birthday celebration at London's Royal Albert Hall. During
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the event, Prince William paid tribute to the renowned broadcast
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as saying it is a rare privilege to celebrate a
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century of life, but it is rareer still when that
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person has transformed the way we see the only home
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that we have, Planet Earth. The summer retrospective also follows
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William's recent public comments on the devastating wildfires are affecting
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parts of Europe and the UK. In an Instagram story
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posted earlier this week, he expressed sympathy for those impacted,
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and thanked emergency crews for their work. William wrote, our
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thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France,
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Spain and the UK, a stark reminder of the challenges
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posed by an increasingly extreme climate and the importance of
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protecting both people and nature. The timing of the post
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has also drawn attention because it comes just days after
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Megan shared her own family vacation photos. As things tend
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to go, Meghan's posts were mocked, whereas William and Cads
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were warmly received. More palatan just the moment. If you
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ever find yourself chatting with King Charles, there's one everyday
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word you probably won't hear him use. According to social
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anthropologist Kate Fox, who has studied the language and customs
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of Britain's upper classes, the Royal family traditionally avoids saying
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the word toilet. Instead, they're much more likely to ask
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for the laboratory or simply the loo. Fox tells he
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Low Magazine that the preference dates back centuries. Although toilet
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sounds perfectly English today, it actually comes from the French
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word toilette, and over time Britain's upper classes develop their
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own vocabulary that often avoided certain fashionable French terms. It's
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not the only linguistic quirk associated with the Royals. If
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you're invited to an evening meal and of royal residents,
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don't expect anyone to ask if you're staying for tea.
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According to Fox, the family would be more likely to
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call it dinner or supper, and what many of us
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would call the living room or lounge in a royal
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residence is more likely to be referred to as a
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sitting room or the drawing room. Is even etiquette around
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describing things rather than saying something as posh. Fox says
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members of the upper classes are more likely to call
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it smart, reserving posh for ironic jokes. Princess Olympia of
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Greece celebrated her thirtieth birthday with a weekend of festivities
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that offered royal watches a glimpse into both her family
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life and personal life. Olympia, the daughter of Crown Prince
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Pavlos and Princess Marie Chantal of Greece and the god
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daughter of King Charles, marked the milestone with celebrations that
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included a yacht party, family dinner's birthday cakes, and gatherings
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with friends. The weekend also included plenty of time on
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the water, with Olympia posting photos from a yacht alongside
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friends and family. Although Greece abolished its monarchy in nineteen
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seventy four, the former royal family continues to use their
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titles socially, and Olympia has become one of its most
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recognizable members through her work as a model and fashioned personality.
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The family also maintains close tires with the British royal family.
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King Charles, then Prince of Wales became olympia godfather when
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she was born in nineteen ninety six, and the two
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families have remained close over the years. While Olympia was
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born in New York, she spent much of her childhood
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in London after her family relocated to the UK, giving
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her long standing connections to both British and European royal circles.
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Olympia continues to balance that royal heritage with a career
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in fashion and modeling. While her birthday weekend offered another
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reminder that Europe's extended royal families remained closely connected even
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when many of those monarchies no longer officially exist and
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that you have it. If you'd like to email us
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her addresses the Palace intrigu at gmail and dot com.
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If you're on Spotify, drop us a comment. If you're
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on Apple, at that button that says listen uninterrupted, and
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for five bucks a month you get It's commercial free
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by Mark Francis Me thanks to John McDermott. This is
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145
00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:44.840
146
00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:47.720
147
00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:49.639
