Kate has always had to follow strict rules (Image: PA)
Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle has made sure to take advantage of the royal rules she doesn’t have to follow, although even Kate Middleton has broken one before.
There’s obviously a certain etiquette that comes with being a member of the royal family. There are also unwritten rules that they follow with certain individuals expected to maintain a higher standard than others. Because Kate Middleton is a more senior family member, being married to the heir to the throne, Prince William, she was always required to stick to the more formal ones. In contrast Meghan Markle was permitted to bend certain rules when she was a working royal, presumably because her husband Prince Harry was further down the pecking order – or the ‘spare’ heir as he has referred to it.
Since the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals and relocated to America in 2020, clearly Meghan is free to follow her own rules, which she has taken full advantage of. But there was a time when she did as she was told too. Here are the five rules, according to BusinessInsider, that Kate has to follow but which don’t apply to Megs.
Christmas Day celebrations
Kate wasn’t allowed to attend the family’s Christmas Day celebrations at Sandringham until she was married to Prince William. The royals gather for morning service at church and then traditionally take part in a walkabout where they meet and greet members of the public. All members of the family are invited, even those without a title, but their partners are not, until they are married. Kate first attended the day in 2011 after she and William had wed. It seemed the rules were bent for Meghan though because she first joined the service in 2017, after her engagement the month before to Prince Harry.
There’s protocol around Christmas Day at Sandringham ( Image: PA)
No political opinions
It is widely known that the royals are expected to remain politically neutral, or at least not publicise their opinions on politics. While Kate probably voted before she tied the knot with Wills, it’s believed she no longer does. Prince Harry confirmed he had never voted in the UK during a TV broadcast of the 2020 TIME 100 unveiling in 2021. Since moving to the US, Meghan has decided to vote and publicly shared the fact on her and Harry’s charitable foundation website Archewell. In a picture posted to the site, a smiling Meghan was seen wearing a baseball cap and a ‘I voted’ sticker.
Royal baby protocol
After the births of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, new parents Wills and Kate followed the expected protocol of having a photograph taken by the press on the steps of the hospital. They also had a royal christening, in which a traditional gown handed down through the generations, was worn by the babies.
When Meghan and Harry welcomed Archie in 2019, they went against the usual protocol. Instead of the photocall at the hospital, they invited a select few photographers to Windsor Castle two days after the birth. There was also no public christening. When their second child Lilibet Diana was born in 2021, they had already left their royal roles and her arrival was kept entirely private.
Rules of fashion
Meghan didn’t wear a hat on her first official engagement with the Queen ( Image: Getty Images)
Royal ladies are expected to wear hats to formal occasions during the day, such as a wedding and tiaras for events in the evening, such as a state banquet. Meghan, who has said she favours a casual approach to fashion and was barefoot in ripped jeans when she first met Kate and William, was criticised for her first engagement with the Queen in 2018. She chose not to wear a hat, which according to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, raised eyebrows. Since leaving The Firm, Meghan, who once revealed she wore a lot of neutrals because she wasn’t allowed to wear the same colour as the Queen or other senior royals, has been free to wear whatever she likes.
No selfies
On her first walkabout meeting members of the public in 2017, Meghan declined a selfie with a fan and told them “we’re not allowed”. Since leaving their roles, Harry and Meghan have been seen happily taking selfies with the public – most recently on their trip to Nigeria and in a video on the Archwell website. However, Kate has also broken the rule. On an engagement in Leeds last year, the Princess of Wales allowed a ‘nervous’ fan to take a selfie with her, telling him, “it’s OK, we all get nervous”.
