The real reason Kate Middleton changed her name

Kate Middleton was always known by her nickname until she took up birth name Catherine.

• Kate Middleton was used to being addressed by her nickname until she tied the knot back in 2011.
• Upon marriage the Duchess up the more formal Catherine, but she had made moves long before to try and be addressed by her birth name.
• In other royal news (opens in new tab), Kate Middleton opens up on 'difficult' lockdown as she joins school children for assembly.

Kate Middleton rose to prominence with her short nickname, as it was presumably what she was called by friends while she was growing up.

However, the now-Duchess was born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton and after marrying Prince William nine years ago she took up the more formal moniker.

However, it turns out that the now-royal had tried long before marriage to change how she was known – and it was for a heartbreaking reason.

MORE: Prince Louis reads Mary Berry cookbooks and 'claps his hands when she's on TV'

Before getting engaged, the now-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had dated for seven years and even broken up a couple of times in between.

And during that period, Kate received a borage of scrutiny from the public, with some even dubbing the now-royal ‘Waity Katy’.

“Kate’s in an impossible position,” one of the Duchess’s close friends told the Daily Mail at the time.

“She hates that awful phrase ‘Waity Katy’ and it makes her mother quite upset.

“It’s why she’s asked all her friends to call her ‘Catherine’.”

Journalist Adam Helliker also wrote in The Sunday Express back in 2008 that the Duchess has requested that her friends no longer use the nickname.

MORE: Exciting news for the Duchess of Cambridge as she welcomes a new arrival

He wrote: “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’.”

Royal expert Daniela Elser revealed that Duchess Catherine made the announcement in an email that she sent out, adding that it proved her increasing awareness over her future royal role.