Kate Middleton isn't the only person the Royal Family wanted to change their name

Prince Harry has claimed in Spare that King Charles III and Queen Camilla once wanted Kate Middleton to change the spelling of her name – and it looks like the Princess of Wales isn't the only royal who has been expected to ditch their moniker. 

• Prince Harry has claimed that King Charles III and Queen Camilla wanted Kate Middleton to change her name after she married Prince William in 2011.
• The Duke of Sussex reportedly wrote in his new memoir, Spare, that the Royal Family was concerned that the spelling of the Princess of Wales's name could cause confusion with the public. 
• In other royal news, all the details on *that* Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton fallout finally revealed by Prince Harry including terse text exchange about a dress.
  

Prince Harry has said that King Charles III and Queen Camilla wanted the Princess of Wales to change her name when she first joined the Royal Family, over concerns that its spelling may cause confusion with the public. 

The Duke of Sussex makes the surprising claim in his bombshell new memoir, Spare, which officially hits shelves today (January 10). 

Elsewhere in the 416-page book, Harry claims that Prince William 'knocked' him to the floor at Nottingham Cottage during an argument about Meghan Markle and reflects on his relationship with Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret. 

The 38-year-old also writes candidly about his grief following Princess Diana's death, how he lost his virginity at the age of 17, and his killing of 25 people while serving in the British Army. In another passage, Prince Harry reveals the details of Meghan Markle's 'flower girl dress' fallout with Kate Middleton ahead of their royal wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018. 

Harry has also spoken about the sacrifices that have been expected of members of the Royal Family, such as the changing of their names. According to the Daily Mail (opens in new tab), the duke claims that King Charles III and Queen Camilla wanted the Princess of Wales to drop the 'C' from her birth-given name, Catherine, and replace it with 'K' instead. The 41-year-old would thereby go by 'Katherine', which is closer to the Greek origins of the name – καθαρός (katharos) or 'pure'. 

Harry apparently writes that the Royal Family were concerned that having three senior royal names beginning with 'C' would cause confusion, especially when it came to their cyphers. (Interestingly, King Charles III's personally chosen royal cypher, which was unveiled shortly after he ascended the throne in September, also had fans scratching their heads.) 

Have any other royals been asked to change their names? 

Kate Middleton isn't the first royal to nearly be given a name change. 

Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, was also subject to pressure within the British monarchy to assume a new moniker. Born Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent in 1819, the monarch preferred to go by her middle name, Victoria, or 'Drina', an abbreviation of her first name. It's understood, however, that her predecessor, King William IV, strongly advised her to change her name to Elizabeth or Charlotte, over fears that 'Victoria' wasn't an appropriate name for a Queen. 

In an 1836 letter (opens in new tab) to her uncle, King Leopold of Belgium, the former Princess Victoria laments the possibility of ditching her beloved name. 

"There was a desire to change my favorite and dear name Victoria to that of Charlotte...to which the King willingly consented," she writes. 

"I said nothing, though I felt grieved beyond measure by the thought of any change." 

Fortunately for Queen Victoria, the plan was "given up" after it became clear that the public had "become used" to her name and even "liked it."