The BBC has come under fire after making a royal blunder during coverage of Catherine, Princess of Wales, at a significant Armistice Day event.

On Tuesday, November 11, the Princess made a solo appearance at the National Memorial Arboretum’s Armed Forces Memorial for the Service of Remembrance. The ceremony marks the anniversary of the end of World War I. Catherine represented the royal family at the event and laid a wreath in honor of those who died in service or served in the Armed Forces. She also led a two minute silence before speaking with veterans and their families.

During one moment that quickly drew attention online, Catherine was seen kneeling to hold the hand of Donald “Bill” Redston, a 100-year-old veteran and former marathon runner. When she asked what inspired his passion for running, he replied that he simply liked the idea of keeping fit.

The BBC soon found itself at the center of controversy. Its initial headline read, “Kate and Queen lay Armistice Day wreaths as nation pays tribute.” During the live broadcast, a presenter also referred to her as “Kate Middleton.”

Social media users immediately pointed out that Kate Middleton has not been her name since 2011. Her current official title is Catherine, Princess of Wales. After her marriage to Prince William in 2011, she became the Duchess of Cambridge. She held that title for over a decade until the death of Queen Elizabeth II, after which King Charles III granted her and William the titles of Princess and Prince of Wales.

Although Prince William has used the name Kate in informal contexts in the past, he now commonly refers to her as Catherine. Prince Harry also used the name Kate in his memoir Spare. Even so, many viewers argued that a national broadcaster should use her formal title during a major state occasion.

Criticism mounted online. Author Adrian Hilton wrote on X that he did not recall the BBC referring to Princess Diana as “Diana Spencer” after her wedding, adding that the broadcaster should respect the name Catherine chooses to use. Another viewer expressed disbelief at what they called “appalling coverage.”

One user wrote that the use of Middleton was “bloody rude” and insisted that the correct form should be Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales or simply Catherine. She added that although she has always supported the BBC, the broadcaster “gets things wrong” far too often.

Following the backlash, the BBC quietly changed its headline to “Catherine and Queen lay Armistice Day wreaths as nation pays tribute.” Even with the correction, criticism continued online, with some calling the original headline “despicably rude.”

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