A Facebook user has had her account deleted in error by the social networking site because she shares her name with Prince William’s fiancee.
Kate Middleton, 29, a help desk administrator, says she is desperate to organise her forthcoming birthday party but is struggling after her profile was removed.
Miss Middleton, who lives in the aptly named Kingsway, Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, has a boyfriend who shares a name with the famous TV presenter Jonathan Ross, but his account has not been blocked.
The 29-year-old told the Sun: “I was absolutely gobsmacked.
“It was ridiculous because they obviously thought I was trying to impersonate Prince William’s Kate Middleton.
“But the profile picture is of me – and I clearly look nothing like her. Besides, William’s Kate is not even on Facebook.”
Miss Middleton added that she was trying to organise her 30th birthday party and was unable to contact many of her friends.
Facebook does not allow fake names or for people to operate under a false identity and its security system removed Miss Middleton’s account in error, said a spokeswoman for the social networking site.
She added: “We review thousands of pieces of content every day and take action to ensure Facebook remains a safe and trusted environment for everyone.
“Of course, we make an occasional mistake. This is an example. When this happens, and it’s brought to our attention, we work quickly to resolve the issue.”