Prince William and Kate 'want to be known by first names not royal titles'

8 May 2022, 13:58 | Updated: 8 May 2022, 15:18

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reportedly want to be known by their first names and not their royal titles following the mixed reception they received on their Caribbean tour.

Prince William and wife Kate Middleton are said to be looking at a huge shake-up of royal protocol - which includes getting rid of bows and curtsies along with their formal titles.

The pair would instead be known as simply Kate and William in an apparent attempt to modernise the Royal Family.

A big factor in the decision was the eight-day trip to the Caribbean, after it was branded "tone deaf", a royal source told The Mirror.

The source said: "They want to be more approachable, less formal, less stuffy and break away with a lot of the tradition.

"The general consensus was that the tour seemed out of date, out of touch, too formal and stuffy.

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"So now it's more "Wills and Kate" instead of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge... "Just call me Wills" type of thing.

"They want to try to avoid the bows and curtsies in public, be more approachable, less formal, less stuffy, and break away with a lot of the tradition and focus on a modern monarchy."

William and Kate's tour of the Caribbean in March was clouded with criticism.

There were accusations Belize locals were not consulted about a royal engagement, to calls for slavery reparations from the monarchy in Jamaica.

Claims were also made the couple were "tone deaf" after images were taken of the Cambridges shaking hands with Kingston crowds behind a wire mesh fence, and images of the royals riding in the back of a Land Rover were denounced as harking back to colonial days.

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Prince William helps Kate Middleton down the stairs during Royal Tour of Caribbean

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told William and Kate during a photoshoot that his country wanted to become independent of the Commonwealth and address “unresolved” issues.

He also told William and Kate that the nation was "moving on" and intended to "fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country".

William did not address calls to remove the Queen as head of state in a speech at the governor general’s residence.

But he did say he agreed with a declaration by his father Prince Charles that “the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history”.

William also spoke of his “profound sorrow” for the institution of slavery, which he said should never have existed.

The news comes as the Queen moves ahead with slimming down the Monarchy and the Palace announced that only senior Royals, which do not include Prince Harry and Meghan and Prince Andrew, will be on the palace balcony for the showpiece Platinum Jubilee celebration.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they would attend regardless with their children for the Jubilee next month.