Did Kate Middleton almost lose her title to another famous royal?

While Kate Middleton is known as the Princess of Wales currently, it was not the title she inherited upon her marriage to Prince William in 2011.

The future queen held the title of Duchess of Cambridge back when she first became a part of the royal family; however, the decision almost did not come to pass.

It was originally Duchess Sophie, wife to Prince Edward, who would have inherited the Cambridge title if her husband did not change his mind on a short notice.

When it came time for King Charles’ youngest sibling to tie the knot back in 1999, it was planned that he would be known as the Duke of Cambridge.

Having seen the then-fresh release titled Shakespeare in Love, however, the Prince rejected the original plan.

Instead, Edward chose to become the Earl of Wessex, a title modelled after the one he learnt about via one of the film’s characters.

“He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead,” a palace courtier told The Telegraph in 2010.

Subsequently, his new bride Sophie went on to adopt the title of Countess of Wessex as her husband inherited the Earldom.

Since their respective marriages, both Kate Middleton and Duchess Sophie have received other royal titles, which they currently claim.

As Kate went on to be associated with the country of Wales alongside Prince William, who became the Prince of Wales, Sophie is now known as the Duchess of Edinburgh as Prince Edward became the Duke of Edinburgh.

Edward’s father and Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Phillip was known as the Duke of Edinburgh before he passed away.