Kate Middleton made a surprise move while attending a philanthropic event this week, choosing to drop her “Princess” title in service of British youngsters.
News of Middleton’s brief stint as a non-royal came courtesy of royal correspondent Cameron Walker, who revealed that she “temporarily” revoked her Princesshood to accompany primary school children on an excursion. Walker reported that Middleton joined the group of youngsters on a minibus ride to the National Art Gallery in London, which she attended as part of her Early Childhood initiative. While it was an official royal engagement, Middleton apparently dropped her princess title to “become a primary school helper for the day,”
It’s thought that Middleton made the down-to-earth move to remove any pretense that she was above the teachers and students. To top it all off, Walker reported that the entire excursion was paid for by Kensington Palace, but that the students weren’t aware of who Middleton was, princess or not. “The children on the bus had no idea who the Princess was,” he claimed. “They were far more interested in the fun activities on offer, rather than their VIP helper.” As part of the excursion, Middleton guided the kids along the gallery’s so-called interactive trail, which was conceived and opened by the Princess last week.
The interactive trail is overseen by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, and aims to foster young children’s social and emotional development. “It is based on a new framework, which the Princess launched on Sunday, aimed at increasing awareness of Britain’s social and emotional skills,” Walker wrote. The children on the bus were the first to take part in the trail and were accompanied by the Princess as they went on side quests, collected gems, and solved clues, according to London Planner.
Alongside the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, Middleton’s efforts within the youth space have included the program “Shaping Us,” which aims to increase understanding of the first five years of a child’s life, and supporting businesses that focus on early childhood development. Middleton’s brief period of going Princess-less wasn’t the first time she has broken with royal tradition. Earlier this year, it was speculated that she and Prince William were considering sending their eldest child, Prince George, to Marlborough College, which would go against the tradition of a future monarch attending a boarding school.
Elsewhere, we learned that Middleton is making changes within the Palace, ordering press releases to focus less on her outfit choices and more on the impact of her philanthropic ventures. Of course, some members of Middleton’s broader family are well-versed in breaking traditions, with Meghan Markle being one of the few people to be invited to the royal family’s Christmas celebrations in Sandringham in 2017, despite not yet being married to Prince Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex also broke the mold in July of last year, when she and Harry revealed on their website that they had changed the surname of their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet. Now going by the last name Sussex, this broke a 64-year tradition in which all male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip should go by the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Given the feverish attention that being a Princess induces, I’m sure Middleton felt a sense of calm when dropping the title, however brief.
Published: Feb 11, 2025 04:24 am