Top 10 Royal Rules Meghan Markle Had to Follow & Broke

In 2018, Meghan and Harry set off on their first international Royal tour. One stop on said tour was the famous Bondi beach in Sydney, Australia. While there, the pair of them kept things much more casual. Now, you may be thinking that seems reasonable. After all, it feels good, while walking with sand in your shoes doesn’t. However, when you’re a royal, comfort doesn’t always come first, and long-standing protocol disapproves of them going barefoot. This is something of a guideline that both Kate Middleton and Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, have notably adhered to on beaches.

If you happened to see clips or photos of Meghan Markle presenting at the 2018 British Fashion Awards, you probably noticed her beautiful black dress and her growing baby bump. You might not have noticed her manicure, though – and if you did, you probably wouldn’t have found her short, painted nails to be noteworthy. But many Royal watchers sure did. A Royal rule reportedly stating that bold, dark, colored nail polish is un-royal. To that point, the Queen wore the same, almost colorless, “Ballet Slippers” polish from brand Essie for decades.

So, imagine you just bought a notebook and have decided that your goal is to fill it with the signatures of the British royals. Well, unfortunately, that’s unlikely to happen. It isn’t because the royals don’t want to sign your book, it’s because they’re forbidden from doing so. Basically the no-autograph rule is in place to prevent people from having the royals’ signatures, which they could then possibly forge. We know what you’re thinking. Didn’t we see Meghan Markle break that rule when she signed an autograph for a little girl back in 2018? The answer is kind of. According to People, Markle wrote “Hi Kaitlin” and didn’t actually put a signature, so you be the judge.

It isn’t a rule that’s set in stone. But when we tell you that Queen Elizabeth II apparently liked pants on royal women far less than a dress or skirt, we aren’t kidding around. In fact, if you look through photos of the Queen’s public appearances, you’ll notice only a handful or two feature her in pants. On the flip side, Meghan Markle was probably spotted in pants several times during her first year as a member of the Royal enclave alone. Again, this isn’t a make-it or break-it rule - Kate Middleton, and other royal ladies, have done the pants thing as well. But it does seem as though Markle was called out for it a little.

Yes, there are some things the royals do that are very relatable and remind us that they are normal people just like us. And then there’s this. While you, like us, probably have to open, and close, our own car doors, the royals have someone to do that for them, especially if they’re on duty. And while there’s nothing saying they can’t do it themselves, it generally isn’t done. In fact, it’s such a 180 from what folks are used to seeing from the royals that when Markle closed her own car door it was an actual story. Indeed, news outlets and Twitter went wild over it.

Many watching Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance together post-engagement wanted to hear about how they were feeling, and maybe get a glimpse of the ring. What they also got was an unexpected glimpse of Markle’s legs. The issue wasn’t that she was showing off too much of them, but that they weren’t covered by stockings. You might be thinking, well how many people commonly wear pantyhose these days? Well, most female members of the Royal family do, on a regular basis. Simply put, it isn’t a law or anything, but Markle was definitely bucking tradition with her bare legs.

When Meghan Markle became a member of the Royal family, she probably didn’t realize just how many different little things there are to consider. For instance, we’re not sure she ever thought the way she sat would be making headlines. When she went to the Queen's Young Leaders Awards ceremony in 2018, many noticed she was sitting with her legs crossed. It’s a position which is traditionally not approved for royal women - especially at formal events. Although, to be fair, most royal ladies have, at one time or another, been photographed sitting with legs fully crossed – yes the Queen, too!

When it came to her son’s christening Meghan Markle went against tradition in a few ways. First off, she and Prince Harry kept it private, whereas normally there are moments that are opened up to the public - and photographers can come and take photos. Some pictures were subsequently released for us all to see though. It’s in those where we see Markle’s second so-called transgression of a Buckingham Palace tradition. She wore Dior! The thing is, it’s generally assumed that a royal mom will don clothes from a British fashion designer for such an event. But at Least Archie kept with tradition.

No one is saying that members of the royal family don’t have political views. But they aren’t supposed to express them. According to the U.K. Parliamentary website, “Although not prohibited by law, it is considered unconstitutional for the Monarch to vote in an election.” The royal website reportedly goes even further, stating that the Monarch “has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters.” While these “rules” apply more strictly to the Queen or King, there is an understanding that they extrapolate to all members of the royal family. That’s why it was a big deal when Markle did things like call herself a feminist and appear to support a pro-choice stance.

These days, it seems pretty commonplace for everyone from your cousin to Hollywood movie stars to reveal the birth of their child on social media. But, as we all know, the royal family is anything but common. Generally, royal births have been announced via an easel outside the palace. That’s the tradition, and to be fair, an easel announcement was eventually made. But Meghan and Harry also decided to use the modern day-easel that is Instagram. Their account sent out a simple “It’s a Boy” pic accompanied by a relatively short caption to let the world know Archie had arrived.