When the world got wind of Prince William's relationship with his beautiful university pal, Catherine Middleton, she was quickly given the nickname 'Kate'.
Despite William, Prince Harry, the Queen and the rest of the royal family calling her Catherine, Kate stuck and it's what fans and the media have called her ever since.
But it turns out the Duchess of Cambridge isn't a fan of the name, and reportedly sent an awkward email to her friends back in 2008 requesting that they called her Catherine instead.
Two years before she was given Princess Diana's stunning sapphire engagement ring, sources say Kate was getting ready for her royal role, reports the Daily Star.
Writing for the Sunday Express at the time, columnist Adam Helliker said: "With Prince William’s engagement now a surefire certainty (even Ladbrokes has stopped taking bets on whether it will happen after a flurry of well-placed wagers) there are intriguing signs that Kate Middleton is preparing for her future role.
“It looks like she’s taking it very seriously indeed too.
“I hear that in the past few weeks the former accessories buyer has quietly informed friends that she would like to drop the informal ‘Kate’ and in future wishes to be known by her full name: 'Catherine'.”
The request reportedly came by email, and royal expert Daniela Elser says Kate's friends were "a little taken aback", reports the Express.
She claimed the duchess was “gentle” and “very jokey” despite the awkward nature of it.
One of the pals told Mr Helliker: “Everyone knows it’s about to happen with Kate and William, but we were a little surprised about the request to call her Catherine.
“There is a distinct feeling she has started to become very aware of her position.”
However Prince Charles' press secretary Paddy Harverson denied the reports at the time.
It is believed William would have called her Kate when they met at the University of St Andrews, but that her full name is more 'royal'.
Kate uses her full name in all her official royal correspondence, and signs off her emails with 'C'.
