Kylie Kelce Apologizes for Calling Kate Middleton “Princess Kate”

Kylie Kelce has apparently received a crash course in royal naming etiquette after inviting Kate Middleton onto her Not Gonna Lie podcast.

Last week, Kylie enthusiastically invited “Princess Kate, Duchess of Cambridge” to come on and talk about field hockey and motherhood. This week, she returned with an apology after learning that ‘Princess Kate’ was considered an “offensive” way to address her.

“I love learning, so I was unaware that calling Princess Catherine, Princess Kate was offensive,” Kylie said. “I didn’t know that. Now I know that. Now I will proceed accordingly. I apologize for the mistake. I would like to refer to people in the most respectful way and how they feel respected.”

She then addressed the royal directly: “Princess Catherine or the Princess of Wales, I apologize. I will get that sorted immediately starting now.”

PEOPLE

And this is where the whole thing becomes a little ridiculous.

Apparently Kate Requires a Naming Tutorial

Kate has been known globally as Kate Middleton for more than two decades. PEOPLE itself says it continues to use ‘Kate Middleton’ in headlines and on first reference because the name remains widely recognised and searched. Yet Kylie somehow ended up apologising because “Princess Kate” was not sufficiently correct.

Her formal title is Catherine, Princess of Wales, and she is formally referred to as the Princess of Wales. Kate’s formal title is Catherine, Princess of Wales, and she is formally referred to as the Princess of Wales. “Princess Catherine” is widely used as shorthand, including by PEOPLE, but it is not her formal style in the same way Princess Anne or Princess Charlotte use “Princess” before their given names.

So we have somehow reached the point where people are being corrected for using one informal version of Kate’s name and directed toward another informal version. Very normal stuff.

The Double Standard Is the Interesting Part

We have already written about the BBC apologising after complaints over its use of “Kate Middleton,” while the British press routinely continues to use “Meghan Markle” years after Meghan married Harry. Apparently the naming rules depend heavily on which royal woman is asking. Could you imagine the headlines if Meghan demanded public apologies every time someone called her by her maiden name?

There is also a historical irony here. Royal women are routinely remembered by the names that made them recognisable, even after marriage or a change in status. Anne Boleyn did not vanish from history because she became queen. Elizabeth Woodville remains Elizabeth Woodville. Catherine of Aragon did not become impossible to identify after marrying Henry VIII.

That is perfectly normal. Except, apparently, when it comes to Kate — or Catherine — or Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, depending on which version of the rulebook we are using today.

Kate Middleton is not disappearing from public vocabulary either. She was known by that name for years before marriage, throughout her relationship with William and across the international media. People recognise it. Search engines recognise it. History will recognise it.

Changing the styling is one thing. Treating a familiar name as though its continued use requires an apology is another.

Kylie Was Already Being Respectful

The strangest part is that Kylie’s original invitation was extremely complimentary. She praised Kate as ‘an incredible woman’ and pointed to their shared interests in motherhood and field hockey. There was no insult to correct. Kylie has now graciously apologised anyway, saying she wants people to feel respected.  

Okay. But if royal naming etiquette has suddenly become this important, perhaps everyone should receive the same courtesy. There is an almost perfect punchline buried in PEOPLE’s own article: after explaining why Kylie should stop saying “Princess Kate,” the magazine invites readers to sign up for its royal coverage of “Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!”