Upon the death of Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, King Charles III ascended the throne. Prince William and Kate Middleton then took on new titles and became known as the Prince and Princess of Wales. According to new reports, however, Prince William had hoped to give his wife the title of Princess much sooner.

Prince William and Princess Kate tied the knot in a fairy-tale royal wedding on April 29, 2011. A royal courtier told The Telegraph that Prince William asked the queen to make his wife a princess upon their marriage.

Unfortunately, Queen Elizabeth refused his request, citing royal tradition. Instead, Kate and William became known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

“He was born Prince William and wants to continue to be known by that name,” the courtier explained. William also had an opinion about what name Kate should be called.”

“He wants Kate to be Princess Catherine,” the courtier continued. However, the decision as to whether or not to make someone a princess was entirely left to the sovereign.

“Kate is a commoner and cannot be called ‘Princess Catherine,’” a source told The Telegraph. 'But it is up to the queen to decide what title to give her, with one or two exceptions.'

“When Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester died, the Queen gave the Duchess of Gloucester the title of Princess Alice,” they revealed. 'This was a reward for many years of faithful service.

The courtiers also surmised that the queen wanted to avoid changing tradition.

“You would think that there would be some pressure on him [William] not to change the system,” the courtier told the outlet.

William's initial request was denied by the queen, but his wife has now received the official title of princess. And sometime in the future, of course, Princess Kate will become queen.