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Post by vittoria on Jun 28, 2008 23:33:57 GMT
I'm a bit perplexed by the ongoing determination to call Catherine Middleton "Kate". It is now clear that she does not use this name, that her friends and family members have never used it, and that it was a media invention -- cuter or snappier for the purposes of tacky tabloid headlines than her real name, Catherine.
Therefore, what possible justification is there for calling this woman by a name that she has never used? And why should people claim that she is being snobbish -- or merely trying to establish a more "royal" name -- when Catherine is the name by which she has been known all along?
People do have a right to their own names and to object to nicknames created for them. (I have a cousin named Catherine, and she and her parents fought a long and successful battle against "Cathy.") It's not up to us or the press to decide how someone should be called. Let's call Ms. Middleton by the name with which she was christened and which, by all accounts, everyone who actually knows her uses.
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Post by Cinderella on Jun 29, 2008 4:02:06 GMT
I remember reading that Prince William doesn't like being called "Wills," but the media continues to call him that anyway! I think it's like "Lady Di" -- "Kate" is snappy and looks good in a headline, so it will stick, at least till/if they get married. After that, who knows what the media will settle on. Probably "Princess Kate."
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Post by vittoria on Jun 30, 2008 0:00:30 GMT
Cinderella, I do not see the mainstream media using the name "Wills." These days, the prince is always called "William." Therefore, why is his girlfriend called by a name that she does not use, that no one who knows her has EVER used? If he is to be called William, then she should be called Catherine. Why is that a problem?
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Post by Cinderella on Jun 30, 2008 2:31:59 GMT
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queenk
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Post by queenk on Jul 4, 2008 0:55:38 GMT
I remember reading that Prince William doesn't like being called "Wills," but the media continues to call him that anyway! I think it's like "Lady Di" -- "Kate" is snappy and looks good in a headline, so it will stick, at least till/if they get married. After that, who knows what the media will settle on. Probably "Princess Kate." I thought Wills was a childhood nickname from his friends. He has said in intervies he doesn't like to be called Wombat, the nickname his mother gave him as a child but I've never heard him talk about his other nicknames. |
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Post by Ibelieveinfairytales on Jul 5, 2008 18:35:23 GMT
Let's call Ms. Middleton by the name with which she was christened and which, by all accounts, everyone who actually knows her uses. If she marries William maybe people should call her Queen Kate/Catherine (with the slash) - it might solve the "problem."  I don't know what people call her in private - Kate or Catherine - I think during the graduation ceremony she was called Catherine Middleton when she went to accept her diploma. So the name Catherine has been used in some instances but for the most part Kate seems to be the norm in the media. If they do get engaged, it will be interesting to see what she's offically called. |
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Post by vittoria on Jul 5, 2008 23:50:44 GMT
Ibelieveinfairtytales, do you think that the "norm" in the media is correct, when the woman has never been called by that so-called "norm" by her friends and family? Of course her proper name was used at her St. Andrews graduation -- as an academic, I can tell you that full, correct names are used at university graduations and on diplomas, unless the recipient makes a request for another name to be used.
The issue here is what Ms. Middleton is normally called by friends and family. That appears to be "Catherine." "Kate, " as I said above, is apparently a media invention for the sake of "cuteness" and a name never used by anyone who actually knows Middleton. Why, then, should anyone complain that Middleton wishes to be called by the name that she, her family members, and her friends have always used? The media do not have an automatic right to rechristen anyone.
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Post by Ibelieveinfairytales on Jul 7, 2008 19:08:10 GMT
The issue here is what Ms. Middleton is normally called by friends and family. That appears to be "Catherine." "Kate, " as I said above, is apparently a media invention for the sake of "cuteness" and a name never used by anyone who actually knows Middleton. Why, then, should anyone complain that Middleton wishes to be called by the name that she, her family members, and her friends have always used? The media do not have an automatic right to rechristen anyone. Tell me something Vittoria, how do you know what people call her in private - what her friends and family have called her? Or is it what you believe in the media? Changing her name for the sake of cuteness? Give me a break! The only time I have ever heard her referred to as Catherine is at her graduation ceremony. That's it. The only book about her, William's Princess by Robert Jobson, makes no mention whatsoever of private vs public names. She's referred as Kate throughout this book. Do you honestly think that the wrong name would have gone on this long - for the last 6 years? Seriously? |
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Post by vittoria on Jul 9, 2008 1:47:24 GMT
Seriously? As a journalist's daughter who has known how the press operates virtually since birth, my answer is "Yes."
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Post by vittoria on Jul 9, 2008 22:53:21 GMT
I might add, on the subject of press behavior where nicknames are concerned, that for decades, the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. was routinely called "John-John" by the press. This was the result of a misunderstanding; it was not a nickname that Kennedy's parents or relatives had ever used. However, the press just loved it -- too cute and charming. Reporters used it so often that members of the public came to believe that it was, indeed, a family nickname. It was STILL used, to my shock, when Kennedy died, and I recently saw a press story in which it appeared -- not with an explanation of the fact that the "cute" nickname had never actually been used by anyone who had known Kennedy as a child, but rather as though this had actually been his nickname.
Robert Jobson is a tabloid reporter with the "News of the World." Before that, he was with the "Evening Standard." These are both tabloid papers that emphasize gossip and are quite willing to make it up. Why would you think that Jobson was an authority on Catherine Middleton? Why would you think that he had even met her? The whole point of people like him, and of the publications he works for, is to support a celebrity/royal gossip industry that will attract people willing to read and believe anything and everything that they publish about prominent people.
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Post by Cinderella on Jul 10, 2008 1:01:39 GMT
I've just remembered that Catherine/Kate has a sister called Pippa. I'm guessing that's short for Philippa. Her real nickname or media nickname?  |
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queenk
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Post by queenk on Jul 10, 2008 2:35:26 GMT
I'm not really sure.
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Post by vittoria on Jul 10, 2008 22:59:27 GMT
If Philippa Middleton likes the nickname "Pippa," if it is a nickname that has long been used for her by family and friends, then it can be used in good conscience. If it is a mere tabloid name, then, no; she should be called Philippa or by whatever name she prefers.
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