Kate Middleton made a 'surprising' request to friends to call her Catherine

There was an instance where the Duchess of Cambridge once requested her friends, via email, to call her Catherine instead of her nickname Kate.

According to Adam Helliker in the Sunday Express, she had made the strange request because she was expecting then-boyfriend Prince William to propose.

She had already appeared to be a part of the family as she had attended his RAF graduation and went to a royal wedding on his behalf.

In a bid to prepare herself for the future role, Kate had emailed her pals to drop the name.

"With Prince William’s engagement now a surefire certainty (even Ladbrokes has stopped taking bets on whether it will happen after a flurry of well-placed wagers) there are intriguing signs that Kate Middleton is preparing for her future role," he wrote.

"It looks like she’s taking it very seriously indeed too. I hear that in the past few weeks the former accessories buyer has quietly informed friends that she would like to drop the informal ‘Kate’ and in future wishes to be known by her full name ‘Catherine’."

In a bid to soften the blow, Kate had penned it in a way which was "gentle" and "very jokey" however, her friends were surprised.

"Everyone knows it’s about to happen with Kate and William, but we were a little surprised about the request to call her Catherine," they told Helliker.

"There is a distinct feeling she has started to become very aware of her position."