In May 2018 Meghan Markle tied the knot in front of nearly 30 million viewers and was plunged into the world of royal protocol.
Thrust into the historic rituals of royal life, she brought with her a distinctly American flair for individuality, and a belief in doing things her way.
However, it became clear almost immediately, this was no ordinary duchess.
During her brief tenure as a senior working royal, she developed a reputation not only for her headline-making fashion choices, but her quiet, and sometimes not-so-quiet, rebellion against the unspoken codes and customs that govern the royal family.
The British royal family, after all, is not just a family, it is an institution rooted in tradition, image, and a rigid set of expectations.
Every gesture and every outfit is steeped in meaning and subjected to intense public scrutiny. But Meghan seemed less interested in adhering to royal convention than in reshaping it.
From the outset, Meghan’s approach to royal life was markedly different from that of her predecessors.
Whether it was her preference for dark nail polish, which is long considered a royal no-no, bare legs sans hosiery, or off-the-shoulder frocks, Meghan’s style choices seemed to signal a quiet defiance of the conservative sartorial standards that have defined royal women for generations.
These weren’t accidental oversights. They were deliberate decisions, bold statements of self-expression in a world that often demands silent conformity.
Royal life, with its unwritten but strictly enforced rules, often clashed with the way she wanted to do things.
Wearing a Veil as a Divorcee
The late Queen allegedly disapproved of Meghan opting to wear a 16ft-long veil at her wedding as a divorcee.
Meghan Markle’s 16ft Givenchy veil was deemed inappropriate as she was a divorcee
In contrast, Queen Camilla, who had previously been married to Andrew Parker Bowles, stuck to tradition and didn’t wear one for her wedding to Charles in 2005.
Wearing White for a Second Marriage
Wearing a bright white Givenchy wedding gown Meghan broke a major royal rule with the shade of her dress being too-white, which was deemed inappropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in church.
Queen Elizabeth was quite surprised at the ‘whiteness’ of Meghan Markle’s wedding dress
As per royal tradition, divorced women should avoid wearing white, as the colour is reserved for first-time brides only.
Ripped Jeans
Royals only wear jeans on casual occasions, and for any event ripped jeans are one step too far.
The appearance of Meghan Markle with Prince Harry at the Toronto Invictus games made news around the world as together with the ripped jeans she wore a “Husband Shirt,” from designer Misha Nonoo
But that didn’t stop her from wearing a pair of Mother ripped and distressed jeans while making her first public appearance with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in 2017.
No Tights
Exposed legs are a big no-no among the royals. Protocol dictates that any time you wear a skirt or dress, tights are a must.
Meghan’s bare legs surprised everyone at the official photo call to announce their engagement as it’s not protocol for royal women to go without tights and it was a cold day in October
Queen Elizabeth wore them, Kate Middleton wears them, and Princess Diana wore them. Yet from the first moment Meghan announced her engagement to Prince Harry she was changing it up choosing to flash her bare legs.
Sheer Gown
Even their engagement photos were a deviation from royal fashion protocol.
The sheer dress by Ralph and Russo was another surprise especially when the price was revealed to be £56,000
Meghan chose a Ralph and Russo gown with sheer detailing across the bust for the occasion, and while the gown was still respectfully demure, the transparent material was certainly a break from tradition.
Holding Hands
There’s not an official rule about PDA, but royals usually keep it to a minimum because they’re working representatives of the monarchy.
The couple started as they meant to go on with the hand holding and even at the reception of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at Westminster Hall they were spotted hand in hand
However, Meghan and Harry stood in stark contrast to the typically restrained behaviour expected of royal couples, always holding hands when attending engagements together.
Crossbody Bags
This isn’t a strict rule, but Kate Middleton always uses a clutch bag since you aren’t allowed to offer a handshake to a royal without them offering first.
Meghan Markle certainly looked the part in her tartan coat when visiting Edinburgh, but we had never seen a Royal on a walkabout with a crossover bag before, so this was a first
A cross-body bag leaves Meghan’s hands free to accept handshakes which breaks with tradition in a big way and she chose a Burberry coat and Strathberry bag which left her hands free when visiting Scotland.
Off-The-Shoulder Dress
At Trooping the Colour in 2018, which was Meghan’s second official appearance after her royal wedding, she tore up the royal rule book.
The Carolina Herrera off-the-shoulder outfit for Trooping the Colour was possibly showing a little too much flesh according to royal fashion protocol experts
She completely ignored royal protocol and wore an off-the-shoulder dress on the famed Buckingham Palace balcony at the official ceremony to mark the Queen’s 92nd birthday. Opting for a Carolina Herrera dress, Meghan’s dress silhouette lacked modesty considering it was a daytime event.
Going Hat-less
Queen Elizabeth was a firm believer that ladies should keep their heads covered during official engagements.
The hat-less Duchess of Sussex caused a stir when she appeared with the Queen in 2018 without one at the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge
She would even wear a scarf when she wasn’t in a hat, so it was particularly bold when Meghan went hat-less to the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge in Runcorn, Cheshire. They arrived on the Royal Train and she was seated beside the Queen who was of course, wearing a hat.
Dressing In Black
The late Queen allegedly preferred for royal family members not to wear all black unless they’re in mourning or at evening events, but Meghan has worn all-black outfits on multiple occasions breaking this tradition.
There was a surprise at Meghan’s choice of colour dress at the summer party at the British Ambassador’s residence in Ireland
At a summer party at the British Ambassador’s residence in Dublin in July 2018 she chose an Emilia Wickstead dress paired with all black accessories.
Trousers At Wimbledon
During the Wimbledon women’s finals, Meghan donned a pair of white trousers and a striped shirt from Ralph Lauren.
The Duchess of Sussex appeared at Wimbledon in Ralph Lauren which included a pair of trousers which are not the usual dress code for the Royal Box
For official appearances skirts and dresses are the usual dress code, which is what Kate Middleton opted to wear while attending the event alongside Meghan. Meghan also wore a Panama-style hat to the event, which she carried as hats are discouraged in the Royal Box because they could block the view of people sitting behind them.
Super Short Hemline
Bare-legged in a black Judith & Charles mini dress, Meghan attended a gala celebrating a charity performance of Hamilton in London in 2018.
Meghan appeared, wearing black, no tights and a Judith & Charles mini dress when attending a gala performance of Hamilton in 2018
Royal women are generally expected to wear skirts or dresses that are around knee-length, and never more than three or four inches above the knee to keep hemlines conservative and appropriate for the occasion, a rule flaunted by Meghan.
Going Barefoot
During a visit toa local surfing community group on Bondi Beach, Meghan broke protocol regarding keeping your shoes on.
Unlike Kate Middleton and Princess Diana, Meghan chose to remove her shoes on Bondi beach
Members of the family, from Kate Middleton who kept her shoes on at Manly Beach in 2014, to Princess Diana, who did the same at NSW Beach in Terrigal in 1983, have always adhered to the royal rule, but not Meghan who ditched her Castaner espadrille wedges.
Dark Nail Polish
It’s an unspoken rule that royal women should either wear no nail polish or neutral colours, with the late Queen always wearing the same light ‘Ballet Slippers’ shade by Essie, or no polish at all.
A pregnant Duchess of Sussex looked radiant on the stage at the British Fashion Awards, 2018
Yet Meghan broke precedence by wearing a dark burgundy polish with her Givenchy gown to The British Fashion Awards in December 2018.
Wearing Dior to Royal Christening
Typically the royal mother wears a piece by a British designer for the christening, however Meghan chose to dress in Dior which was a departure from royal protocol.
For Prince Archie’s christening the Duchess wore Dior and her sister-in-law Princess Kate wore British Designer, Stella McCartney
Kate Middleton has worn Alexander McQueen to all three of her children’s christenings, yet Meghan opted for French designer Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior.
Blue Eyeshadow
Meghan often flouted beauty guidelines during her time as a royal and her final royal engagement seemed like the subtlest way to continue breaking tradition.
Meghan Sussex looked beautiful in bold green Emilia Wickstead for her last official Royal engagement at Westminster Abbey in March 2020
She dressed in bold green Emilia Wickstead with daring cobalt blue eyeshadow. Royal women should avoid bold make-up in public, yet the look created by her personal make-up artist Daniel Martin certainly made a statement.
