Princess Kate reportedly declined a request from King Charles to alter the spelling of her name, according to Prince Harry's memoir Spare. The Duke of Sussex wrote that his father suggested Kate change her name from Catherine to 'Katherine with a K' to avoid confusion with royal ciphers already in use by Charles and Camilla.
Harry claimed that Charles was concerned that having another 'C' cipher would be confusing. The request was made in front of Prince William, who remained silent. However, Kate retained the original spelling of her full name, Catherine.
Despite this, the relationship between Kate and Charles remains strong. Following Kate's announcement of her cancer treatment, Charles publicly praised her courage and referred to her as his 'beloved daughter-in-law'. The late Queen Elizabeth also showed support by awarding Kate the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 2019.
