What is Kate's title?

A very minor controversy broke out in some of the chattering classes of England this week when Prince George's birth certificate was made public.  British birth certificates have a space for mum's occupation and Kate filled that box with the rather unusual job title of Princess of the United Kingdom.  But the talk wasn't where that particular work had been advertised and whether the Palace had gone through the proper HR channels before appointing Kate.  The questions being asked was whether William had got his wife's title right when registering their son's birth.

 

It's rare these days for a British birth certificate to be hand written but unlike other new dads, William didn't have to go to the register office to record George's arrival.  The registrar came to him hence the handwriting rather than the usual word processed document

 

Is Kate a princess?  There are some who say that William, who signed off on the document, got this totally wrong.  Her rank is that of royal duchess and she has been known as the Duchess of Cambridge since her marriage in April 2011.  The Queen appointed William a royal duke on his wedding day - had she got them glasses or a toaster instead as a present, then Kate would have been known as HRH Princess William of Wales.  But granny dipped into her chest of royal titles and that means that Kate is HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.  Right?  Apparently, almost probably and quite likely is as close as we get to a definitive answer.

 



 

Kate's name was far easier before her marriage - Ms Middleton gets engaged to her prince in November 2010

 

Because Kate is still technically Princess William of Wales, it's just that her other titles of Duchess outranks that and it's the one she's known by.  So saying that her job is princess of the United Kingdom is right although quite how the occupation itself is defined is a totally different matter.  It's perhaps more interesting that Kate is the first royal mother to put down an occupation for herself on the birth certificate.  Most have left that blank - it's not compulsory information for registering a birth, unlike things like date of birth which have to be entered for the record to be valid.  Given the flak Kate got before her marriage with critics claiming she did very little other than wait around for a royal wedding, it's striking that she's chosen to mark herself down as a working woman.  One in the eye for the critics or just a chance to be a princess for the day?  After all, royal duchess might be one better in rank but princess just sounds grander, doesn't it?

 

 

 

 

Royal duchess or princess or both?  Kate couldn't care less as she beams with pride showing off her little boy

(photo Christopher Neve)