Good afternoon, dear readers,
Following a couple of hectic weeks and a great deal of advice (thank you to everybody who reached out), 'Duchess Kate' will be retired on Sunday and from then on the blog will be called 'Chronicling Kate'.
The URL chroniclingkate.blogspot.com will go live on Sunday afternoon.
Until then, hrhduchesskate.blogspot.com will work perfectly. I hope the switch will be seamless and this has been planned with retaining the look, tools, widgets, and most importantly the archive of 'Duchess Kate'.
You'll note changes to the site already and the header incorporating the coat of arms of the Duchess of Cambridge. This will be changed once the Royal College of Arms incorporates updates and changes reflecting the new titles. With thanks to Gert's Royals for her assistance on this.
If you were signed up to the Duchess Kate mailing list, you should be automatically transferred to the new service, Follow.it. On Sunday, I will have sign up information if you're not on the list and would like to join.
For those active on Twitter, the Chronicling Kate account is here.
The Facebook Page will be changing over the course of the next week and I'll provide updates once it occurs.
Thank you all for your patience! I'm excited to embark on the next stage of this journey and hope you will all join me :)
OK, I'm sure we'll all become accustomed to the new site name, and Catherine's new title, soon enough. Though, yesterday, I blithely referred to the King as "Prince Charles". Thank God he didn't take a regnal name different from his first name. He's been known as Charles for so long that no one will ever think of him as anything else!
ReplyDeleteLooking good so far Charlotte. Loving the new name and the very best of luck with this new chapter in your blog. S. ☺.
ReplyDeleteIt’s really an end to an era. So excited for Kates new role and responsibilities
ReplyDeleteFantastic!! Well done Charlotte! Your blog is such a joy. Looking forward to the new blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your work! I always check this site first! ;) Sue
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. Highlight of my day!
ReplyDeleteVery lovely new name and design. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charlotte, for updating the blog which is the proper thing to do. I look forward to updates on chronicling Catherine in my mind. I never did like the name Kate.
ReplyDeleteI like the design very much. Here's to your new-ongoing blog!
ReplyDeleteThis blog is an absolute joy to read. Look forward to joining you on the next stage of Catherine's journey.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Charlotte! What a great way to adjust to her new title, while still leaving room to accommodate for her next eventual evolution to Queen Consort! Thank you for all the hard work & I'm glad you've been advised & supported by other bloggers & experts in this process!
ReplyDeleteThis is so exciting! :) xoxo
Becca
USA
It looks and sounds great!! Thank you for your hard work.
ReplyDeleteBrazilian fan.
I love it. I can't wait to watch it grow. Thank you, Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteI would love a blog post about how the fashion was “pulled off” for the Queen’s funeral. Did the ladies have all those black outfits at the ready, or were they quickly sourced. How did Megan come up with her outfits? She was there, but did not know before she left that she’d be there when HRH passed. Were some of her clothes and shoes sent from the US? Were her outfits made quickly there for her? Thank you for your wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat Idea, Anon 2:12!!! Count me in as one of the curious!
DeleteBecca
USA
I love it too;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your hard work over the years Charlotte. Your blog was always accurate and you were always quick to post. Well done and I look forward to reading Chronicling Kate. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your hard work on this blog Charlotte. You always posted accurate information and in a very timely fashion. I have enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading Chronicling Kate for many years to come. Being from the US, your info on the royal family was fantastic. So sorry for your loss of Her majesty, Queen Elizabeth. A job very well done!
ReplyDeleteDear Charlotte, thank you for your great work, it is always a pleasure to read your blog! Looking forward to the blog-transition! Katharina
ReplyDeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I know you are busy with the change over but have you any idea when we can expect to see The Princess of Wales next? S. ☺
ReplyDeleteHello S, I would definitely expect an engagement or two during the week.
DeleteCharlotte, thanks for the quick response. I look forward to seeing them. S. ☺
DeleteExcited for this new chapter.
ReplyDeleteTedi
will this change the RSS feed?
ReplyDeleteIt will indeed Bea, I will have all the details tomorrow.
DeleteAppreciate your efforts, and this isn't intended as a criticism, simply a question. Why not use her actual name - Catherine? Thanks for all you do here on this blog, I always enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteSince Her late Majesty passed, the issue of using 'Kate' has become very contentious and I've received feedback from people within the royal community who are very upset about the name change for this blog. So, I want to address a few of the issues before we make the switch tomorrow.
DeleteWhilst within the royal community and on this blog a number of people do refer to the Princess as Catherine, she is very much still known as Kate. Before switching I did quite a bit of research and found per 100 visitors who searched via name, 97 used 'Kate' and only 3 used 'Catherine'.
Across the media whether it be the Times, the Daily Mail or US outlets, you will always see Kate. In fact, you'll often see her maiden name Middleton, too. This is due to SEO and the fact people still search for the Princess using those terms. I've never referred to Kate by her maiden name in all the time I've been blogging about engagements; it's either Kate or by her title. If I called this site 'Chronicling Catherine' it would be very damaging in terms of hits and visitors. People simply would not find it because they don't search for 'Catherine'. My fellow bloggers all use Kate in their blog titles, too.
I have personally gone to great lengths to ensure the Princess is comfortable with Kate and reliably received confirmation from sources who have personally heard her tell people to "Call me Kate" or "Oh yes, Kate is absolutely fine" over the past year. I'm satisfied and assured the Princess takes no issue with it. Kate is not an insulting term now when she's the PoW, nor was it when she was the DoC.
As I always did in previous years, I will primarily be referring to the Princess by her title.
I hope this offers clarity on the issue and the reasons behind the decision.
I love the new name. I agree Charlotte. Before she became a Duchess we all knew her as Kate. Fell in love with her as Kate as we watched her slowly transform in to the Woman she is today. The Princess of Wales. S. ☺
DeleteJust wanted to thank you, Charlotte, for not referring to her as "Kate Middleton" as it drives me nuts when news outlets still do that!! I have always appreciated how respectful the blog always is with using her titles and I'm excited for the new change.
DeleteWhat about "Princess Kate"? Not Duchess Kate anymore, but Princess Kate :)
DeleteBest royal page!
DeleteMakes sense
DeleteChronicling Kate is perfect. Princess Kate would have to change when she becomes Queen
Deleteand we will be all be here with Charlotte when it happens;)
time seems to go so fast ..amazing that we have been here for so long.
As the author of the initial question r.e. Catherine vs. Kate, I thank you for your kind and thorough explanation. Not many admin would do this. I have an understanding of your reasoning, and would/will accept your decision as this is your blog. I've followed you for many years sometimes posting, mostly not. You are a extraordinarily hard-working blogger and I've appreciated every single post. They are thorough and that enlightening. I thank you again, and pass along my appreciation for your efforts. You're awesome.
DeleteThe difficulty with renaming the blog "Princess Kate" is that it will one day change again when she becomes Queen. So 'Chronicling Kate' has more longevity, I would think!
DeleteIt occurs to me as I read this that you refer to "the Duchess" so often for Kate or Meghan; I think the key item is that you are amazingly kind and generous and nonjudgmental while still being very insightful. We need to remember that titles and events may be very special but every person is just as special as another -- none of us are better or worse than others.
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank Charlotte for all your hard work over the years on the Duchess Kate blog. I have been following this blog since 2014. I love how you are one of the very few royal blogs that does not give into the whole if you like Kate you should dislike Meghan. I like both of them and I really appreciate how you do not bash Meghan on this blog and Kate on Meghan's blog. That is a rarity in royal reporting now a days and I really like coming to your blog to just read about the engagement and fashion. I am looking forward to following Kate as the princess of Wales and hope you keep doing it when she becomes queen consort.
ReplyDeleteI have been following this blog since the time of the wedding but not commented often enough. Having said that, I check in on this site a few times a day because I know that if Kate is out and about, you would have the details here.
ReplyDeleteI am truly appreciative of the hard work put into this. Your speedy, yet calm and accurate posts have been a place of comfort in times when everything seems to have turned upside down.
As a Royal watcher I want to say Thank You for faithfully blogging on our behalf. It truly is an end of an era. But looking forward to following the new Princess of Wales through this page.
All the best to you, Charlotte, and keep on keeping on. You are appreciated.
Speaking of names etc, does anyone know why they are calling it the Carolean age in relation to King Charles? I know it was the Elizabethen age that has just finished with the death of our Queen. But Carolean?
ReplyDeleteBecause of Charles, carolean mean "of Charles"
DeleteI tried to go to the new site but it says for invites readers only! Help!
ReplyDeleteMy apologies, we are live now, with updates taking place throughout the day :)
DeleteIt is working now, I had a moment of panic also! Perhaps a link or something like that on the former duchesskate page would help? I am thinking of those who do not check regularly. Now when you click on duchesskate, you just get a notice saying the blog doesn't exist anymore.
DeleteNatacha, thank you so much, I am looking into it as we speak.
DeleteThe first issue I've experienced personally is logging into 'Duchess Kate' several times and forgetting the change :) I'm working on a redirect now.
I've been reading since you began. It's still hard to believe that the new PoW is moving on to a new stage in her Royal career. I'll definitely continue to read your new blog and I'm really glad that we'll still be able to access all the DoC posts (sometimes I look through old posts when the Royals are having some down time and I need a royal fix!). Best of luck to you as you adjust to an increased workload, Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the explanation about using Kate and for all your tireless, superlative work on our behalf. I don’t know what I would do without you for positive, reliable, thorough reporting on the now Princess of Wales and future Queen Consort. Best of luck going forward.
ReplyDeleteAppreciation from America 🇺🇸
Michelle
Will the new site be linked in your Meghan blog? And it will be interesting to figure out, if that's even possible, how the work will change for W&K now. W mentioned they were looking for a babysitter, which seemed odd, or was a nanny no longer needed, I wonder? Will they have tours that would not have been needed in their previous roles? Are there activities that are off limits? I can't think of any but I read that Charles has been discouraged from going to the Cop27 meeting, which is in a different country, so that was a change for him.
ReplyDeleteFound it! You are absolutely right, Kate has indeed told people that ‘Kate’ is absolutely fine with her. For those of us who have followed her since her student days and you since you began your blog, we are just happy to see her treated with the respect she deserves. And your blog has always always been respectful and insightful and full of appropriate photographs. Thank you Charlotte and continued energy and blessings be upon you. Valerie in Arizona
ReplyDeleteThnak you for continuing this blog Charlotte . Just explaining the process of choosing a thoughtful name shows us the care, respect and thoroughness you have shared throughout the years. I’m eager to see the Princess in her new role. It might mean a lot more work for you. And ALL of what you do here is deeply , truly appreciated
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, have you archived posts from the duchess Kate blog? I really enjoy reading old posts and comments from the blog.
ReplyDeleteHello ILE, thank you so much for your posts. Retaining the archive was really important to me and I'm delighted to say all the old posts are here in the same way as previously.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments and feedback by the way. I appreciate every single one.
ReplyDeleteI also had a panic moment as the blog does not redirect automatically but happy to have found you again.
ReplyDeleteI know other readers have asked for a post on mourning clothes and jewelry etc. Perhaps a retrospective on how this has changed over the years starting with or even before Queen Victoria’s era would be of interest? You write about historical events so well. -celticgirl
Thanks for everything!
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte, I'm just experimenting with posting.
ReplyDeleteBecca
USA
Almost thought I lost the blog, but here I am. What a relief. All the best with the "new" blog; looking forward to all the new posts.
ReplyDeleteThe redirect is now working, so if you type in the old URL, you will be sent here. Thank you for the post suggestions, I'm really excited to get to work on new content. There's several different angles I want to look at in a new series of posts.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs always great work by you Charlotte, I look forward to continuing reading the blog.
ReplyDeletePrince and Princess are going to Boston Dec 2
ReplyDeleteCharlotte how did you arrive at the name "Chronicling Kate" instead of something more Royal as the former name was Duchess Kate? Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteHello Fran, My heart was set on HRH The Princess of Wales until I began the process of switching 'Duchess Kate' over. I wanted to stick with something I wouldn't have to change when Kate is Queen. I had a list of four names and only one was available on both blogger and the social media channels I use. I think it sums up what I do here - I chronicle Kate's work and her style. It is a big relief to be almost finished with the change.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I think you chose the perfect name, for moving forward with your blog! It's interesting hearing your process in choosing it. It's so practical to choose a name that will grow & change as Kate's roles do. Bravo!! :) xoxo
ReplyDeleteIn fact, one has to look no further than recent reports about concerns Kate will "outshine" or take attention away from Charles, thus her ensemble is of concern.... (eyeroll)
ReplyDeleteOne last thing (I promise!) I don't think any one can forget how sensitive Charles was at the attention Diana got, compared to him!..... Just sayin.... let's not be so quick to judge Will & Kate! They may be doing all that they are allowed to do!! (shrug) We truly don't know what is going on behind the scenes. Plus, as frustrated as William has been, at this dynamic, in the past.... I think he wants to do everything in his power to support his father & ensure his reign is as successful as possible, however frustrating that may be at times & require W&K to sit on their hands in deference!
ReplyDeleteEveryone: I just read the most interesting insight into Kate, in an article. Charlotte, I don't know if you will post this, but I feel it very much gives an insight into Kate's place in the Royal Family. As this article says, "I don't think she gets enough credit". Below is the link:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thedailybeast.com/kate-middleton-fought-for-recollections-may-vary-in-post-oprah-statement