It really irks me!

My eldest daughter not only kept her maiden name when she married, but has passed it on to her daughter.

I’ve never liked my married name I’d love to use my maiden name but since my DH died It feels disrespectful and the faff to change everything like bank, passport, driving licence etc.

MawBe

Growing up in Scotland, I remember how married women were always referred to by their maiden name, unless being called Mrs ….
So I might have been Mrs Broon to the butcher, but Pheemy (short for Euphemia ) MacTavish to everybody who knew me.
We moved toLondon when we married so the daughters were all brought up in England .
As it turned out, D1 took her husbands name, the middle one uses her maiden name professionally and D3 never changed her name on her marriage 9 years ago.

Maw you will remember that it has always been, and remains, legally competent for a married woman in Scotland to call herself by either her maiden or current married name, and indeed in criminal charges or legal proceedings it remains common to libel her as both, e.g. Euphemia MacTavish or Broon.

I say you will remember as no doubt you were told this trivially at some point but unquestionably have never been criminally charged yourself!

When I was a solicitor in training the married women were still expected to give their names in that format when witnessing deeds. I do not know if the current practice has changed. I do hold bank accounts in both names.

The media do it to Kate to make sure she knows her station. You will notice when they are in full sucking up mode, or are trashing Meghan that day, Kate gets her proper title and even her HRH.

TBH, once she is Princess of Wales, I expect she will generally be referred to as Princess Kate.

MiniMoon

Whenever you hear Prince William refer to his wife, he calls her Catherine. I think it is disrespectful of the press and media to call her Kate Middleton.
I was a Miss until I married, and I'm Mrs now. I would bever like to be addressed as Ms.

I am male.

A practical problem arises if one wishes to send an email to a lady whom was does not know on a first name basis, and one does not know how she likes to be styled.

For example, if a news channel presenter is listed on screen as Jane Smith and there is an email address such as
[email protected]

It would seem presumptuous ​to write

Dear Jane

so

Dear Ms Smith

seems the way to go.

If ithe lady is the editor of a magazine, I use the format

Dear Editor

which is also helpful if one does not know the name of the editor.

Just wondering, for ladies here, do you ever get letters that start Dear Sir even if it is in response to a letter or email that you have sent that clearly indicates that you are female?

Do you ever get letters of the format

Mrs Jane Smith
21 Example Lane
Sometown

Dear Sir

where even though addressed to a female then starts as if you are male?

Whenever you hear Prince William refer to his wife, he calls her Catherine. I think it is disrespectful of the press and media to call her Kate Middleton.
I was a Miss until I married, and I'm Mrs now. I would bever like to be addressed as Ms.

Ms does not refer to a woman who is divorced; she is still Jane Smith unless she changes her name by deed poll, (which annoys second wives immensely) but correctly she is referred to as Mrs. Jane Smith as opposed to Mrs. Peter Smith. Ms, came into usage originally for women who objected to being called Miss particularly those with children.. I hate it because it is not a proper word.

I still confuse the titles Duchess of Cambridge with Duchess of Cornwall when I read them. I use the term Meghan Markle deliberately because in my opinion, she has abused her title and position, as has her husband. Childish, I know.

Ms became mainstream when the UK government agreed to allow a woman to use Ms on her passport if she wanted to do so, as some women argued for that as they said that men could use Mr whether married or not and they should have a similar facility.

So it is a choice for a woman.

I am wondering if the whole Miss or Mrs difference was so that historically it was clear as to whom anyone should complain to about her, or to whom to make any claim for money owed. To her father or to her husband.

Getting back to the original question, I think calling her Kate Middleton is a way of the press constantly reminding us of Kate’s non royal background. The RF don’t call her Kate, and neither do her own family, and I doubt whether she ever asked anybody to continue calling her Middleton after she married. She should be asked what she wants to be known as, and the press should use whatever that is as her name. It’s different for Meghan in that as an actress she chose her stage name, and still calls herself by that name when working, although she may also prefer a different name for private use.

I think Alegrias is right, Ali08.

It's true that divorced women may take 'Ms', but that doesn't mean that all 'Ms's' are divorced. It's like the 'all frogs are green, but not all green things are frogs' thing that we were taught at school. (I know that other coloured frogs are available, before a pedant points it out?).

I am Mrs Dog, but I married young, and didn't really think about it. I don't know that I would take a man's name now, although I can see that it's useful in many circumstances for the family to have a name in common.

Growing up in Scotland, I remember how married women were always referred to by their maiden name, unless being called Mrs ….
So I might have been Mrs Broon to the butcher, but Pheemy (short for Euphemia ) MacTavish to everybody who knew me.
We moved toLondon when we married so the daughters were all brought up in England .
As it turned out, D1 took her husbands name, the middle one uses her maiden name professionally and D3 never changed her name on her marriage 9 years ago.

When I divorced I was still referred to as Mrs, both written and face to face.

Fanny that’s great , I think if you like your surname , good , if you don’t change , mind you it will confuse genealogical bods in the future ?

Aggie A friend of mine's daughter has her mother's surname

Nicola Sturgeon is called Ms Sturgeon on TV sometimes. Did she get divorced and I missed it?

Didn't divorced women continue to use Mrs?
That's what I thought used to happen

Children are registered under their fathers name , that is the odd thing , they belong to him ! I guess that’s where married women feel they need to take their husbands name . Maybe young people feel they are their own person nowadays and why the media use the single surname ?

Well the schools and the PO got it wrong.

Why on earth would we need a title for women who were divorced. We've already got 2 titles for women that put them into categories of marriage, we don't need another one.

Alegrias1,
Ms./Mizz. was always used as a reference, on letters at least, to refer to a divorced woman. That what I was taught at the schools I attended, and by post office staff!
Whether YOU are married or single does not bother me in the least.

aggie,
It's quite understandable in cases where there are no sons to carry the name on, or if the male spouse has an unfortunate name or it would become unfortunate along with the wifes name.
My argument is that people as famous as Catherine and Meghan are still being referred to like they were still single - that's what irks me!
I guess it's just not how I was raised.

Surely no-one ever used the 'word' Mizz?
Especially in written form?

If you work in a primary school, you are always referred to as Miss, even if you are a man!

I'm sure that Galaxy can vouch for me!

As others have said, personal choice, I’ve been remarried for 14 years, but have kept my previous marital surname on all paperwork literal and online and it’s what I’m known as.

I missed my maiden name , even after many years. I have begun to take the title Ms rather than Mrs. Men are always Mr and under that title no one knows whether they are married or single. I question why women are generally expected to declare their marital status on letters / documents. Why should I disclose my personal situation!? It is no one's business. Historically it was designed to establish a woman was an appendage to get husband. Surely we have moved on from that! Lots of people keep their original name on marriage and why not . Why does society expect this of women but the same rule very rarely applies to men. If a couple want the same name then perhaps more men should take their wives name.

I agree with you Fanny my niece in her 30s I always address as Ms she has never been married but miss sounds either like a young girl or an aged spinster.

After years of using my married surname, even after divorce, I recently had to use my maiden name for my dna/genealogical research and found it quite pleased me to suddenly use my own name again. It makes me feel different somehow.
Regarding the young royals, yes I think the media should get to grips with their married names now. But, as someone said, maybe they like it that way.