(NewsNation) — The BBC has apologized for referring to Kate Middleton as Kate Middleton.
The network said it received complaints that, during a Remembrance/Armistice broadcast (similar to the U.S.’s Veterans Day), it did not refer to her as Catherine, Princess of Wales.
“We received complaints from people unhappy that we didn’t use the Princess of Wales’s correct title during our coverage of Armistice Day,” the BBC said in a statement.
“During our coverage of memorials to commemorate Armistice Day, we mistakenly referred to Catherine, Princess of Wales as Kate Middleton; these were errors during hours of live broadcasting for which we apologise,” the BBC said. “Throughout our Armistice Day coverage more broadly, we referred to Catherine by her correct title.”
A representative for Kate told The Daily Beast’s The Royalist that Kate did not complain about the BBC’s slip-up.
Prince William, Kate Middleton’s royal titles
The BBC has a long history with the royal family and has a royal liaison officer who helps the state-funded broadcaster with royal coverage, according to the Daily Beast.
FILE – Britain’s Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge visits the Urban Nature Project at the Natural History Museum, in London, June 22, 2021. The Duchess of Cambridge, who turns 40 on Sunday Jan. 9, 2022, has emerged as Britain’s reliable royal. After Prince Harry and Meghan’s stormy departure to California in 2020, the death of Prince Philip last year, and now sex abuse allegations against Prince Andrew, the former Kate Middleton remains in the public eye as the smiling mother of three who can comfort grieving parents at a children’s hospice or wow the nation by playing piano during a televised Christmas concert. (Geoff Pugh/Pool Photo via AP, File) 
FILE – This photo shows a BBC sign outside the entrance to the headquarters of the publicly funded media organization in London, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) 
Britain’s Prince Williams and Kate, Princess of Wales, arrive at the state banquet in Windsor Castle, England, on day one of U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s second state visit to the UK, Wednesday Sept. 17, 2025. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP, Pool)
When Prince William married Kate in 2011, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed them with multiple titles, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Kate and William became the Princess and Prince of Wales after the queen’s death and Charles became king, granting them those titles.
Kate Middleton is the more popular search term
While Kate reportedly told friends in 2008 to call her by her given name, Catherine (rumored to be in preparation for becoming a royal), the press has referred to her as Kate Middleton because it is widely used in search results and many members of the public knew her as that name.
According to Google Trends, Kate Middleton has a higher search value than “Princess Kate” and “Princess Katherine.”