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The BBC has landed in hot water after making a royal blunder related to Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Princess Kate recently made a special solo appearance for Armistice Day on Tuesday, November 11.
Social media users quickly slammed the BBC’s coverage of the event, accusing the broadcaster of disrespecting the princess.
RELATED:
The BBC has landed in hot water after making a royal blunder related to Catherine, Princess of Wales
Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Highlights
- The BBC was accused of disrespecting Catherine, Princess of Wales, in its recent coverage.
- Princess Kate attended the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum’s Armed Forces Memorial in honor of Armistice Day on Tuesday.
- Netizens expressed outrage after the coverage and claimed it was another reason to "defund" them.
On Tuesday, Princess Kate attended the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum’s Armed Forces Memorial in honor of Armistice Day, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I.
The 43-year-old princess represented the royal family at the ceremony and laid a wreath to honor those who lost their lives in service and served in the Armed Forces.
Image credits: Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Princess Kate led a poignant two-minute silence in remembrance of the fallen during the ceremony, after which she interacted with veterans and their families.
She was captured kneeling to hold the hand of a 100-year-old veteran named Donald ‘Bill’ Redston, who was also a former marathon runner and participated in the London Marathon and New York City Marathon at the ages of 65 and 66.
When the Princess of Wales asked him what inspired his love for running, he said he “liked the idea of keeping fit.”
Princess Kate made a solo appearance at the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum’s Armed Forces Memorial in honor of Armistice Day
Image credits: Adrian_Hilton
After Princess Kate’s debut appearance at the service, the BBC was at the center of controversy for its coverage of the event.
“Kate and Queen lay Armistice Day wreaths as nation pays tribute,” read the headline.
A presenter was heard referring to her as “Kate Middleton” during the live coverage of the event.
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
Netizens were quick to point out that Kate Middleton has not been her name since 2011, as it was her maiden name.
Her current official title is Catherine, Princess of Wales.
After tying the knot with Prince William in 2011, she was given the title of Duchess of Cambridge by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The mother-of-three carried the title for over a decade until the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, after which King Charles III bestowed the titles of the Princess and Prince of Wales to her and her royal husband.
Netizens were outraged over the BBC‘s coverage of the event
Just BBC News on #ArmisticeDay casually announcing the arrival of “Kate Middleton”..😔 pic.twitter.com/wIOjpupRJC
— Adrian Hilton (@Adrian_Hilton) November 11, 2025
Image credits: Adrian_Hilton
Image credits: Adrian_Hilton
In the past, Prince William has referred to his wife as Kate on different occasions.
“I would say I’m getting better at cooking,” he told ITV in his engagement interview. “Kate would say I’m getting a lot worse.”
Nowadays, he is mostly heard calling her Catherine.
His brother Prince Harry also referred to his sister-in-law as Kate in his memoir Spare.
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
Many slammed the BBC for its coverage of the Tuesday event.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall the BBC referring to ‘Diana Spencer’ after her wedding, or writing headlines like ‘Di and Queen,’” author Adrian Hilton said on X, sharing a screenshot of the headline.
“The tabloids did, certainly. But it’s even more disrespectful from @BBCNews because she uses ‘Catherine’, and I thought the BBC now valued preeminently how people wish to self-identify,” he added.
Another viewer commented, “Can’t believe the appalling coverage on BBC. The Princess of Wales being referred to as Kate Middleton!”
Many pointed out that Kate Middleton has not been her name since 2011
Image credits: Adrian_Hilton
Another wrote, “How dare the #BBC once again be disrespectful to [Catherine] Princes of Wales at the wreath laying (broadcasting now). Several times, the woman presenter used her maiden name. I am fuming!!! I would name and shame if I knew who she is.”
“Can somebody have a word in the ear of your reporter at the National Memorial Arboretum – she should not be referring to the Princess of Wales as ‘Kate Middleton’!!” another raged,” read another comment.
Image credits: Karwai Tang/WireImage
Image credits: Adrian_Hilton
“Another reason to defund them. They are purposely disrespectful. They refused to call her a duchess, they refuse to call her a princess, will they refuse to call her Queen when the time comes?” said another.
Popular British TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp was also outraged by the headline.
The British broadcaster changed the headline following the backlash
View this post on Instagram
“This is one of my bug bears. It is Catherine, the Middleton bit is just bloody rude, but most of all it is Catherine. HRH the Princess of Wales actually and if that k*lls you it’s Catherine Wales,” Kirstie wrote in a tweet.
She said she has always loved the BBC but noted they “get things wrong.”
“It often drives me crazy,” she added.
Following the backlash, the BBC changed its headline to “Catherine and Queen lay Armistice Day wreaths as nation pays tribute.”
“How despicably rude,” read one comment online
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What do you think ?
Me myself and I 3 weeks ago
The world is falling apart. Us is being lead by a power hungry orange idiot. People are striving to death and countries being torn apart by war/famine/corrupt greedy governments but OMG Kate got called Kate....biggest catastrophe there is. This needs to stop. Get a grip people. She's only a person not some celestial being
Tim Fawcett 3 weeks ago
This one piqued my interest... so Adrian Hilton is a right wing commentator - who writes for (according to Huff Post) The Spectator, Daily Mail, Breitbart and ConservativeHome. It is instructive to google "Kate Middleton Daily Mail" and "Kate Middleton The Spectator" - guess how they refer to her right up to today. How come he isn't criticising them in the same way? It is an act of purest hypocracy to rant about the BBC doing one thing while doing the self same thing yourself. Classic "do as I say, not as I do" This strikes me as classic Right wing rage baiting propaganda - create outrage and anger knowing that people will not look deeper. And the reactions here show that people will suspend their critical thinking for a quick dopamine hit of moral outrage. The first thought whenever a politician or journalist says anything must be "why is this lying b*****d lying to me"
Rick Murray 3 weeks ago
Given the BBC's rather dumb decision to edit what Trump said and not make it clear that the two things he said didn't quite go like that, the right wing has come out in force to slam the BBC. They are likely hoping to push the BBC into submission so it doesn't give balanced reporting (in other words, calling them out on their bull). After all, the previous government played with the idea of scrapping the TV licence that would all but destroy the BBC, this wasn't done to help hard up pensioners, it was a power move to scare the BBC into reporting what the government wanted reported and none of this woke impartiality nonsense... That's probably a large part of why Trump has it in for them - he's been like that with every media outlet who isn't favourable or asks awkward questions. At any rate, they'll be looking for every single possible little error and turning it into a world ending cataclysmic event, because, well, anti-Beeb propaganda.
Load More Replies...
arthbach 3 weeks ago
Its rude to call a person by their previous name. This is true for Catherine, and anyone who has changed their name, be it through marriage or for other reasons, eg becoming pope, trans people choosing a name that reflect them better. Use the name the person wants you to use. Don't make assumptions.
Rick Murray 3 weeks ago
Oh FFS, the lot of them can go take a long walk on a very short pier, because I'd imagine that most of them (and the right wing press they read) never stopped calling the other guy's wife "Meghan *Markle*". And if getting some born-lucky person's name wrong is what outrages a person, they really ought to go sit in a little padded room and cease participating in reality because there's a *lot* of injustices that should upset a person and this sure as 💩 isn't one of them.
Alexandra 3 weeks ago
The duchess of Sussex has spent the grand total of six hours in Sussex during the at the most two years she was a working royal. You can hardly say she has earned her title.
Load More Replies...
Siege Rook 2 weeks ago
I get it was an intentional slight and all. But I still can't help but think how much of a nothing-burger this is, altogether, when there are much more important things going on in the world that people should be saving their outrage for. And really, I'm sorry (not sorry), but I couldn't give a fig about royalty, any more than I can multi-billionaires - they only qualify as "people" in the most technical sense, as they tend to so very quickly forget what its like to be one, if they ever were one in the first place.
CP 3 weeks ago (edited)
I don't know why a position a person gets through birth or marriage is supposed to earn respect. The very idea of princess is disrespectful to hard work. What did you do exactly to earn that? Royalty (people paid by government just for being born lucky) is beyond stupid. The stuff humans do because of tradition is ridiculous. Royalty is a joke whether England does it or Saudi Arabia. That people get this upset over a gaffe about privileged useless title is farcical.
Alexandra 3 weeks ago
The respect is for the position, not the person. It's also for the work the person does and the restraints the person has to live with. Not just the obvious ones, such as security, always being scrutinized, not being able to voice your own opinion on political matters or any other matter really and not voting. A royal house is a means of uniting the nation because ideally it represents the country's values and traditions which have formed over hundreds of years. It also has a considerable economic power and it often costs less than having a new president every 4 years. Yes there are far more pressing problems (Sudan comes to mind) but that does not mean you should disregard the small ones.
Load More Replies...
Alexandra 3 weeks ago
The royal family is only partly funded by the state : the Sovereign Grant covers upkeep of royal palaces and expenses related to official duties. Everything else is funded through private sources. The royal family not only costs money, but they also bring in money: state visits are less about pomp and circumstance and more about business new business transactions and networking.
Load More Replies...
arthbach 3 weeks ago
Apatheist, you make me laugh. On this particular occasion it's because left-wingers complain about the BBC being too right-wing. Think about all the air time the BBC gives to incredibly minority parties like Reform UK, and Nigel Farage. If both extremes are saying the BBC is biased against them, it's probably taking quite a central position.
Load More Replies... Me myself and I 3 weeks ago
The world is falling apart. Us is being lead by a power hungry orange idiot. People are striving to death and countries being torn apart by war/famine/corrupt greedy governments but OMG Kate got called Kate....biggest catastrophe there is. This needs to stop. Get a grip people. She's only a person not some celestial being
Tim Fawcett 3 weeks ago
This one piqued my interest... so Adrian Hilton is a right wing commentator - who writes for (according to Huff Post) The Spectator, Daily Mail, Breitbart and ConservativeHome. It is instructive to google "Kate Middleton Daily Mail" and "Kate Middleton The Spectator" - guess how they refer to her right up to today. How come he isn't criticising them in the same way? It is an act of purest hypocracy to rant about the BBC doing one thing while doing the self same thing yourself. Classic "do as I say, not as I do" This strikes me as classic Right wing rage baiting propaganda - create outrage and anger knowing that people will not look deeper. And the reactions here show that people will suspend their critical thinking for a quick dopamine hit of moral outrage. The first thought whenever a politician or journalist says anything must be "why is this lying b*****d lying to me"
Rick Murray 3 weeks ago
Given the BBC's rather dumb decision to edit what Trump said and not make it clear that the two things he said didn't quite go like that, the right wing has come out in force to slam the BBC. They are likely hoping to push the BBC into submission so it doesn't give balanced reporting (in other words, calling them out on their bull). After all, the previous government played with the idea of scrapping the TV licence that would all but destroy the BBC, this wasn't done to help hard up pensioners, it was a power move to scare the BBC into reporting what the government wanted reported and none of this woke impartiality nonsense... That's probably a large part of why Trump has it in for them - he's been like that with every media outlet who isn't favourable or asks awkward questions. At any rate, they'll be looking for every single possible little error and turning it into a world ending cataclysmic event, because, well, anti-Beeb propaganda.
Load More Replies... arthbach 3 weeks ago
Its rude to call a person by their previous name. This is true for Catherine, and anyone who has changed their name, be it through marriage or for other reasons, eg becoming pope, trans people choosing a name that reflect them better. Use the name the person wants you to use. Don't make assumptions.
Rick Murray 3 weeks ago
Oh FFS, the lot of them can go take a long walk on a very short pier, because I'd imagine that most of them (and the right wing press they read) never stopped calling the other guy's wife "Meghan *Markle*". And if getting some born-lucky person's name wrong is what outrages a person, they really ought to go sit in a little padded room and cease participating in reality because there's a *lot* of injustices that should upset a person and this sure as 💩 isn't one of them.
Alexandra 3 weeks ago
The duchess of Sussex has spent the grand total of six hours in Sussex during the at the most two years she was a working royal. You can hardly say she has earned her title.
Load More Replies... Siege Rook 2 weeks ago
I get it was an intentional slight and all. But I still can't help but think how much of a nothing-burger this is, altogether, when there are much more important things going on in the world that people should be saving their outrage for. And really, I'm sorry (not sorry), but I couldn't give a fig about royalty, any more than I can multi-billionaires - they only qualify as "people" in the most technical sense, as they tend to so very quickly forget what its like to be one, if they ever were one in the first place.
CP 3 weeks ago (edited)
I don't know why a position a person gets through birth or marriage is supposed to earn respect. The very idea of princess is disrespectful to hard work. What did you do exactly to earn that? Royalty (people paid by government just for being born lucky) is beyond stupid. The stuff humans do because of tradition is ridiculous. Royalty is a joke whether England does it or Saudi Arabia. That people get this upset over a gaffe about privileged useless title is farcical.
Alexandra 3 weeks ago
The respect is for the position, not the person. It's also for the work the person does and the restraints the person has to live with. Not just the obvious ones, such as security, always being scrutinized, not being able to voice your own opinion on political matters or any other matter really and not voting. A royal house is a means of uniting the nation because ideally it represents the country's values and traditions which have formed over hundreds of years. It also has a considerable economic power and it often costs less than having a new president every 4 years. Yes there are far more pressing problems (Sudan comes to mind) but that does not mean you should disregard the small ones.
Load More Replies... Alexandra 3 weeks ago
The royal family is only partly funded by the state : the Sovereign Grant covers upkeep of royal palaces and expenses related to official duties. Everything else is funded through private sources. The royal family not only costs money, but they also bring in money: state visits are less about pomp and circumstance and more about business new business transactions and networking.
Load More Replies... arthbach 3 weeks ago
Apatheist, you make me laugh. On this particular occasion it's because left-wingers complain about the BBC being too right-wing. Think about all the air time the BBC gives to incredibly minority parties like Reform UK, and Nigel Farage. If both extremes are saying the BBC is biased against them, it's probably taking quite a central position.
Load More Replies...
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