A royal fan has revealed Prince William and Kate Middleton’s reaction to being referred to by their first names rather than their official titles.
During a recent visit to Wales to celebrate St David’s Day, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge strolled through Abergavenny Market, where they stopped by a cheese stand for Country Fare Wholefoods and Fine Cheeses.
The brief stop meant that Nicky Hurst, who was operating the stand, found herself face-to-face with the royal couple, with the royal fan telling People that she wasn’t sure what to call the duke and duchess in the moment, so she called them “Kate” and “Will”.
“I wasn’t sure what they’d be like and what to call them in terms of their titles. I called them ‘Kate’ and ‘Will,’ and they were really relaxed,” Hurst told the outlet, adding that William and Kate “are lovely”.
According to the royal family’s official website, there are “no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the Queen or a member of the royal family”. However, the website does note that “many people wish to observe the traditional forms”.
When addressing a male member of the royal family, this means that the title “Your Royal Highness” should be used in the first instance, followed subsequently by “Sir”. The same applies to female members of the royal family, with the website noting that “the first address is conventionally ‘Your Royal Highness’ and subsequently ‘Ma’am’”.
The protocol changes slightly for meetings with the Queen, who should be addressed as “Your Majesty” and then “Ma’am”.
Men may also choose to perform a neck bow, from the head only, while women can do a small curtsy.
While Hurst technically skirted royal protocol, it didn’t stop her from engaging with the couple, as she told the outlet that she then proceeded to ask the duke what his favourite cheese was.
“He said he liked a really rare Swiss cheese called Kaltbach. And I said: ‘Here’s some!’ He was really surprised and said: ‘I didn’t expect you to have that!’” she said.
The Wales local’s recollection of her down-to-earth interaction with the royal couple comes after a royal fan recently recalled “panic-lying” to Meghan Markle about a bouquet of flowers. According to the woman, who recounted the encounter on TikTok, she found herself lying to the Duchess of Sussex after she’d asked whether a bouquet of flowers had come from her garden.
While the woman told Meghan yes, she revealed in the video caption that she’d actually purchased the bouquet from Tesco, but had panicked in the moment.
