Prince William was reportedly "fuming" after King Charles III and Queen Camilla suggested that Kate Middleton change the spelling of her first name when she joined the royal family, according to a new book.
"Charles and Camilla each had a royal monogram that consisted of interlocking C’s beneath a crown, and they expressed concern that a third royal cypher with a C was overkill," Christopher Andersen wrote in his biography "Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen." "Would Kate mind if she changed the spelling of her full name from ‘Catherine’ to ‘Katherine.’"
Andersen added, "Offended by yet another command from on high essentially aimed at placating Camilla, a fuming William replied on his wife’s behalf. The request was nothing less than ‘insulting,’ he told his father, not only to Kate but to her entire family."
A Kensington Palace spokesperson told Fox News Digital they don't comment on books.
"The entire nature of Charles and Camilla's request — that Catherine was adding too many C's to the royal crests — shows just how much image and branding means to members of the royal family. The monarchy really is a giant game of one-upmanship," Andersen told Fox News Digital, adding that from the very beginning of their relationship "William has gone to war for Kate."
William’s top concern has always been for the Princess of Wales’ "safety," but he also came out "guns blazing" in her defense after topless photos of her sunbathing were published in France in 2012.
"He angrily ordered Palace lawyers to sue and even wanted to see those involved prosecuted criminally under French privacy laws," Andersen said. "When they started a family, it was William who made sure that Kate was not forced to take on too heavy a royal workload if it meant that she would have to spend too much time away from their children."
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But, he said the king and Camilla "expected her to go along because she has always been a nice, cooperative team player … but didn't take into account the fact that she personally prefers to be known as Catherine and feels very strongly about the name her parents gave her."
While most of the world knows her by her nickname, Kate, her real name is Catherine.
The princess is "genuinely fond" of Charles and assumed that he got the "absurd" idea from someone else, Andersen explained, adding that she didn’t hold any ill will toward him.
"Besides, it wasn't long before they were having to deal with their simultaneous cancer diagnoses, which put everything else in stark perspective," he added.
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And although Middleton comes off as "kind and compassionate," she still has a "will of steel," he said.
"Kate is very secure about who she is and how she wants to be perceived by the outside world," Andersen said. "Changing her formal given name for such a bizarre, almost comical reason was a bridge too far."
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard called the issue a "nonstarter" and a "lost cause," telling Fox News Digital that Charles and Camilla were thinking with a "business head" since she was known to the world as Kate anyway.
"Although a hopeless endeavour, I can see both sides of the coin," she admitted, explaining that William was not only offended for his wife but for his in-laws as well.
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But "the concerns were brushed aside. It wasn’t important enough to cause a fight. They had bigger fish to fry."
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner called it a possible "volatile moment" between Camilla and the princess as she joined the family, "but nowadays William was there to protect her. Since then, Kate has managed to stay one step behind when Charles and Camilla are around so as not to out stage them."
He noted, however, that more recently the 44-year-old is "building a stronger brand in her own right as William tries to take on the reins of Kingmanship."
"If true it’s idiotic," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital of the story. "The idea is simply stupid. And why? Because her name began with C and theirs did!!"
Andersen also felt the incident "speaks volumes about how conscious the royals are of all the bells and whistles — not just the gold coaches, the castles, and the crown jewels, but things as small as the letters in their crests and coats of arms. It may seem trivial to the rest of us, but to them things like this mean everything."
