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    1. Celebrity

    A Woman Called the Cambridges "Will" and "Kate," and They Were Super Chill About It

    Well, that's good.

    Iris Goldsztajn's avatar
    By Iris Goldsztajn
    Published 4 March 2022 In News

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    Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, (L) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, speak with a cheeseseller at her stall at the Abergavenny Market
    (Image credit: Getty/Ben Birchall)
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    In a world where most of us call our bosses and bankers by their first names, it's understandable that abiding by protocol with members of the British Royal Family wouldn't come naturally.

    When meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, you're technically meant to address them as "your Royal Highness" on first address, followed by "sir" or "ma'am." But one market stall cheese seller in Abergavenny, Wales, Nicky Hurst, hadn't been briefed on that front. When she got chatting with the Cambridges, she decided to call them—well—by their names (to recap, a no-no).

    "They are lovely," Hurst told People. "I wasn't sure what they'd be like and what to call them in terms of their titles. I called them 'Kate' and 'Will,' and they were really relaxed."

    I mean, you would kind of hope so, wouldn't you? But still, good for them for being good sports. It's hard to imagine the Queen being that relaxed about being called "Lizzie" to her face, and with reason—you don't reign on a country for 70 years without commanding a certain amount of respect.

    The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Visit Wales

    (Image credit: Getty/Karwai Tang)

    Aside from the name thing, Hurst scored extra points with the royal couple by having Prince William's favorite rare cheese on hand.

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    "I asked William what his favorite was, and he said he liked a really rare Swiss cheese called Kaltbach," she told People. "And I said, 'Here's some!' He was really surprised and said, 'I didn't expect you to have that!'"

    I'm not gonna lie, I would very much like to have a glass of wine and a gossip with the Abergavenny market sellers. Two of them, sisters Christine Hughes and Carol Davies—who run a fruit and flowers stall—also spoke to People. They revealed that they had told the duke they would "be at your nan's," AKA that they would travel to London for the Jubilee celebrations in June, and LOL. "Your nan" is almost on par with "Lizzie," and I love that for them.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

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    Anyway, Hughes was a big fan of "Mr. and Mrs. Cambridge." She told People, "They're so down-to-earth, an amazing couple. They will make a fantastic King and Queen—and Prince and Princess of Wales." FYI, experts who spoke to Marie Claire on the occasion of the Jubilee agree with that prediction.

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    Iris Goldsztajn
    Iris Goldsztajn
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    Morning Editor

    Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

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