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Today, Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge holds the noble title of Princess of Wales, though she is most commonly referred to as Kate Middleton by the press. She also holds the secondary titles of Countess of Chester and Duchess of Cornwall by right of her marriage to Prince William, Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. While Catherine seems unconcerned with matters of royal titles and status, Prince William was said to not fully understand why his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, refused some of his title requests upon his marriage in 2011.
A palace insider revealed that in the lead-up to his lavish wedding to Catherine at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, William asked the Queen if he could forego being given a dukedom and simply continue being known as Prince William after marriage. He also had a specific title in mind for his future wife - Princess Catherine. However, the Queen believed it was important and traditional for the future king to be granted a dukedom title. As Catherine was a commoner not born into the royal family, she could not be styled as a princess without the permission usually granted through marriage to a prince.
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The Queen felt the proper titles for the young couple should be Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to reflect William's status as a future monarch. Typically, women who marry Princes do take on feminine versions of their husbands' names and styles. However, none of the current female royal consorts such as Catherine or Sophie can officially be called "Princess" followed by just their first name, as that designation is reserved for those born into the role, such as Princess Anne or Princess Beatrice. If Catherine had been immediately styled as Princess Catherine after the 2011 wedding, it could have led to requests from other minor royals for their own title changes.
In fact, the Queen had previously denied another favorite royal the coveted "Princess" title upon marriage. When Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, it was hoped the Queen would grant Sophie the title of Princess, but she declined. Much like Catherine had to wait several years, Sophie was later promoted by the Queen to the separate dukedom title of Duchess of Wessex, which she had long desired. So both Catherine and Sophie eventually received the grandest noble titles they could through their marriages, even if the top "Princess" style eluded them at first due to royal protocol.
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The death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 at the age of 96 was met with widespread mourning from members of the royal family as well as global politicians, celebrities, sports stars and fans. During his interview discussing the loss of his beloved grandmother, Prince Harry shared a brief story of dark humor shared with Prince William during the mourning period that provided a fleeting reconnection between the estranged brothers. Harry recalled joking with William about at least knowing the route they had to walk during Queen Elizabeth's funeral procession, a sad reference to the path they had walked over 25 years prior during the funeral for their mother Princess Diana.
While Harry appeared longing for continued unity with his brother as they reunited in grief over the loss of their grandmother, the reality was quite different from their experience as youths mourning Diana together. At only ages 15 and 12, Harry and William had walked heads bowed behind their mother's coffin. But at Queen Elizabeth's funeral, the two brothers stood apart, with Harry looking on forlornly as William stood stoically in line with his wife Catherine and other senior royals.
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Much had changed between the brothers in recent years. After dating quietly for over a year, Harry had married American actress Meghan Markle in May 2018. However, their relationship had progressed much faster than William's near decade-long courtship of commoner Kate Middleton before their grand royal wedding in 2011. In his new memoir, Harry revealed feeling nervous asking the 96-year-old Queen for permission to propose, and was surprised by her blunt reply after agreeing - "Well, then I suppose I have to say yes."
Some saw this as reluctance from the monarch known for her formality, rather than excitement over a grandson's engagement. It likely had less to do with Meghan herself and morereflecting the couple had only dated publicly for around a year. While William and Kate's longer relationship allowed for a smoother integration into the royal family, Harry and Meghan's swift romance by comparison risked ruffling tradition-loving feathers both within the monarchy and among the public.
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By 2022, tensions had emerged between the royal brothers following Harry's bombshell decision to step back as a senior working royal and relocate to America with his family, subsequently giving various critical media interviews of his royal experiences. The widening divide was starkly on show during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral events, as Harry stood apart, watching for any sign of reconciliation from William which failed to come. How the once-close royal brothers chose to move forward with their relationship in honor of their grandmother remained uncertain. Both surely felt the weight of history remembering their past shared griefs walking side by side.
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