Princess Kate? Not Likely

On Tuesday 16 November 2010 Prince William of Wales announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. This announcement also included the announcement that Ms. Middleton would also be referred to as Catherine from now on, instead of the diminutive form of her name. This is not the only the name change Ms. Middleton will undergo over the next several years.

Contrary to other reports, Catherine will not be styled as Princess Catherine of Wales when she marries Prince William. In Great Britain, one is only Princess XX if she is born a princess. These women include William's cousins Beatrice and Eugenie of York and his Aunt Anne, the Princess Royal. Women who marry princesses are styled with the feminine form of her princely husband's title. Therefore, she will become Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales (the equivalent of Mrs. William of Wales). Her late future mother-in-law, similarly, was not titled Princess Diana -regardless of how often the newspapers liked to say that she was. She was, instead, as the wife to the Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales (also, less familiarly, Princess Charles), and as the divorced wife of the Prince of Wales, Diana, Princess of Wales. Sarah Ferguson, known for her scandalous antics of late, was never Princess Sarah. Instead, she was Princess Andrew or, more familiarly, the Duchess of York. Since her divorce she has been styled as Sarah, Duchess of York. Unless William gets another title, Catherine will be Princess William of Wales.

More titles in William's future are likely as he is expected to become Prince of Wales (the traditional title for the sovereign's oldest son) after his father becomes king. When that happens, Catherine will once again take the female form of her husband's title and become the Princess of Wales. This, however, is not expected to happen for many years, especially if William's grandmother lives as long as her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Therefore, instead of waiting to become Prince of Wales, William will likely be bestowed a title of his own on his wedding day. The most likely title would be a dukedom, such as Cambridge, Clarence, or Sussex. With William as the Duke of XX, Catherine would thusly be the Duchess of XX.

William, as the heir to the heir to the throne, is expected to become king one day -after the deaths of his grandmother and father. At this point, Catherine will become Queen Catherine. She will be the sixth Queen Catherine that the country has seen. The others include Catherine of Valois (wife of Henry V), Catherine of Braganza (wife of Charles II), and Catherine of Aragon, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr, all wives of that much married monarch Henry VIII. For the record, he also married two Annes and a Jane.

After all of these expected name changes, one thing is for certain: Catherine Middleton will not be Princess Catherine .