The Princess of Wales made headlines this week not for her impeccable Remembrance Day tribute, but for being misnamed on live TV.
Kate attended the solemn service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on November 11, honouring veterans and military families, yet BBC newsreader Rajini Vaidyanathan repeatedly referred to her as “Kate Middleton” instead of her proper title: Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Fans were quick to call out the gaffe on social media, with MP Jim Shannon weighing in, “A reminder to BBCNews to educate its broadcasters that the Princess of Wales has not been 'Kate Middleton' since 2011. Her correct title is Catherine, Princess of Wales. Get it right.”
The slip is all the more glaring considering Kate’s royal journey from becoming Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 following her marriage to Prince William, to ascending as Princess of Wales over a decade later after King Charles’ accession.
It seems some broadcasters may need a refresher course in royal names because social media certainly hasn’t forgotten.
Princess Kate left one guest positively trembling, before departing the National Memorial Arboretum, Kate mingled with the public, including Josephine Bradburn, who had just turned 72.
Meeting the princess, Josephine admitted she was left “shaking” with excitement.
Kate’s warm, approachable manner clearly made an impression, she chatted about the beauty of the arboretum, asked where people were from, and inquired kindly about their wellbeing.
“I got to shake her hand… it was a fantastic present,” Josephine said, calling the encounter the best birthday gift she could imagine.
The solemnity of the day was punctuated by Kate laying a wreath at the centre of the memorial, standing respectfully alongside serving personnel and military families as the nation observed the two minute silence.
