Insider Claims One Word in Harry and Meghan's Message For Kate Left Prince William 'Furious'

Tensions between Prince William and the Sussexes have been a constant controversy in the royal family. On one occasion, William was reportedly 'furious' over a word Prince Harry and Meghan Markle used in a get-well-soon card for Kate Middleton. The thoughtful gesture in fact added to the rift between the brothers. According to the Waleses' friends, William was upset when Harry and Markle referred to his wife as 'Kate' instead of 'Catherine' in a public message.

As reported by the Irish Star, the get-well-soon message read, "We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace." According to a source, royal officials viewed the couple's choice not to use Middleton's preferred name as deliberate, as reported by The Daily Beast. 'Catherine' is reportedly used by those close to Middleton—family and old friends. Hence, this didn't sit well with William.

The source, a friend of William and Middleton, said, “The fact that Harry and Meghan were unable to bring themselves to use her chosen name, even when they were sending her get-well-soon messages after her cancer diagnosis, was noted. William takes offence at people calling Catherine ‘Kate,’ because she has asked to be known as Catherine. It’s a fairly simple wish to respect.” The person added, “I’m sure Meghan wouldn’t like it if William started publicly calling her ‘Meghan Markle.’ Of course, it's an utterly trivial thing, but those of us who know William understand that it is one of the things that pushes his buttons. Pushing his buttons while he was dealing with his wife's cancer seemed an entirely unnecessary and deliberate irritation.”

Another source echoed, "No one's saying it's responsible for all the trouble, but deliberately calling someone by a name they don't like is just bloody rude. If Harry and Meghan were serious about healing their issue, a good first step would be to call her Catherine." This wasn't an isolated incident by the Duke of Sussex. In Spare, Harry referred to his sister-in-law also as 'Kate'. Only once did he use 'Catherine' when recounting a matter his father, King Charles, said.

As reported by Cosmopolitan, 'Kate' was a nickname given by the media in the early 2000s. Middleton's official birth name was Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, but she later decided to go by just Princess Catherine when she married into the royal family. In Spare, Harry alleged that Charles and Queen Camilla once asked Middleton to change her name to 'Katherine' because they thought there were too many names starting with 'C', which might create confusion when it came to royal letterheads.