There’s a reason we love movies about rebel princesses and runaway royalty: it’s thrilling to see someone go against strict, stiff rules and carve their own path.
It’s no wonder that we are hardcore stanning Meghan Markle’s subtle royal rebelliousness.
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Whether it’s her fashion choices or her actions, she makes royalty accessible in a way no other royal has in the recent past. We love a relatable queen — sorry, Duchess.
She wore. Black. Nail. Polish.
Stars above, this is really crossing the line!
The Duchess absolutely rocked some black nail polish at the 2018 British Fashion Awards, which is said to have broken royal protocol.
The queen does not abide a colored nail
Rumor has it that the queen does not like colored nail polish.
According to royal protocol, only neutral or bare nails may be worn to royal events.
The queen herself only wears one shade of polish: Essie’s “Ballet Slippers,” which she’s worn since 1989.
She took a political side
Apparently, royals are not permitted to take sides on political topics, but that didn’t stop the Duchess from finding her own way to speak up about the Time’s Up movement.
Time’s Up
She said, “[…] you’ll often hear people say, ‘You’re helping women find their voices.’ And I fundamentally disagree with that, because women don’t need to find a voice; they have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen.”
Having an outspoken feminist in the royal family is a gift.
She walked herself down the aisle
In an unheard of move, Meghan walked herself down the aisle to her wedding.
At the midway point, Harry’s father, Prince Charles, took over and walked her the rest of the way.
She dared to forgo pantyhose
Gasp! Bucking against tradition, Duchess Markle attended her engagement announcement, sans pantyhose.
However, it’s not a rule that women wear pantyhose.
It’s just done so frequently that people believe the Duchess is breaking rules by not doing it.
She does what she wants with her hair
Thanks to The Crown, we know so much more than we used to about royal protocol.
One thing that Meghan has done? Worn her hair in styles that buck against the normal royal standards. This messy bun is one example of her doing so.
She wore a cross body bag
Yup, even that breaks protocol. Apparently, not carrying a clutch is very much against the rules, as the royal family is not meant to have their hands free in public.
It signifies that someone can reach out for a handshake, which is always unwelcome—unless a member of the family reaches out first.
Men don’t carry clutches, though, so…why can’t the Duchess rock a crossbody?
She shut her own door
This wound up being a bit of a big deal, which is hilarious.
The Duchess shut her own car door, which breaks with royal decorum; usually, the royal family has their doors shut for them. I feel like this one is not that big a deal, guys.
We all have doors to deal with.
She and Prince Harry actually hold hands
Apparently, it is not proper for a member of the royal family to demonstrate some PDA with another.
However, that hasn’t stopped the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from doing exactly that.
She signed an “autograph”
This is a strict one, and for good reason: members of the royal family are not allowed to give autographs, in order to avoid any and all forgeries.
To get around that, the Duchess merely wrote a note to a little girl who wanted he autograph. Aw.
She almost wore a hat at Wimbledon
This kinda makes sense. The Duchess broke protocol when she brought a hat to the royal box at Wimbledon. Hats aren’t permitted there, as it obstructs the view of others.
Thank goodness she kept hers off, huh?
She gives hugs
Royals are meant to avoid hugs for security reasons, but the Duchess is a hugger.
She’s hugged multiple children at different events.
She notably hugged a very excited girl who told Prince Harry she wanted to grow up to be an actress one day, which was a special moment for the girl.
She bares her shoulders
The scandal of a woman’s shoulders!
Apparently, protocol says that royal women should have their shoulders covered at events.
Sorry, protocol, but that dress is too good to not wear. Plus, what’s wrong with shoulders?
She wore wedges
So, the Queen reportedly doesn’t like wedges.
I don’t know why, because they’re actually comfortable. And so back right now. Regardless, the Duchess opted to wear a pair while visiting Australia.
Fashion dictates a wedge sometimes, guys.
She wears pants
There is no hard and fast rule that women in the royal family can’t wear pants. Many have, including Princess Diana.
However, the Queen prefers skirts and dresses, and it is apparently not appropriate for women to wear pants in front of her.
However, it looks like everywhere else in the world is fair game.
She wears all black
Usual royal wardrobe choices for women include pastels, patterns, and color-blocking.
The Duchess tends to do absolutely none of those things, opting for darker clothing.
This is very much unlike the Queen and Duchess Kate Middleton, who are almost always in bright, vibrant colors that catch the eye.
Her coat of arms doesn’t have her family name
Due to her struggles with her father, the Duchess’ newly designed family crest does not include her family name.
Instead, it honors her mother, her home state of California, and her new life as royalty.
She spent Christmas with the Queen
Unlike Kate Middleton, who was not permitted to join the royal family at Christmas during her engagement to Prince William, the Queen allowed Meghan to join them for the holiday.
Whether it was because she didn’t have family in Britain, or Prince Harry simply insisted, we just don’t know.
She got re-married
This is Meghan Markle’s second marriage, which is very unusual for a member of the royal family.
While Prince Charles married Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, after his divorce from Princess Diana, it was in a civil ceremony. Prince Harry is the first to marry a divorcee in a church.
She opened up about her relationship to a magazine
Meghan appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair, where she spoke eloquently about her relationship with Prince Harry. She said, “I think it’s really simple. We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”
She got married in May
Most royal weddings occur in the spring.
However, the Duchess and Duke wed in May. Queen Victoria famously said, “Marry in May, rue the day.”
Luckily, that didn’t stop the couple from doing whatever they wanted for their own wedding.
She and Harry both wear rings
Apparently, royal men don’t usually wear their wedding rings.
However, at their wedding, Meghan and Harry exchanged rings that they both still wear.
Neither Harry’s grandfather, father, or brother wear their wedding bands.
She wore a dress with a slit
Equally as scandalous as shoulders: a leg! Meghan chose to wear a dress with a higher-than-usual slit, which upset a bunch of people I don’t overly care to know.
Wear what you want, you figurative queen. It’s your body, not the public’s.
