The union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this past May was one of the most watched television broadcasts, bringing in over 20 million viewers worldwide. As Meghan Markle is an American, audiences in the United States were naturally interested in the nuptials of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The retired actress is now a member of the British Royal Family and is expecting her first child in 2019. While she’s taking the years-long process to become a British citizen, the Duchess of Sussex has a royal protocol she must abide by due to her new title. For all fans of the Royal Family wondering what they do on a day to day basis and how Meghan is adjusting, here’s a glimpse into the life of modern day royals.
Royal rules
Life as we know it for this American girl has been drastically altered. Before exchanging vows with Prince Harry, Meghan had already began preparing for her transition to royalty. As a result, Meghan deactivated her Instagram and lifestyle blog due to the royal rule stating that she is not allowed to have social media. The Duchess is not allowed to take selfies or sign autographs. While Americans typically greet someone with a hug, Meghan must always greet Queen Elizabeth with a curtsy when she is in her presence. She can no longer publicly have any political views and must always dress conservatively. An interesting rule all royals must follow is when dining with the Queen, they cannot start eating before the Queen and must stop eating when the Queen takes her last bite, no matter how hungry they still are. While not official rules, Markle is expected to sit with her legs and knees kept together, and hold a teacup with her thumb and index finger on the handle while only sipping from one spot with her pinky always tucked in.
The role of a Royal
As Duchess of Sussex, Meghan’s role is to be a working representative of the British monarchy. All members of the Royal Family must undertake duties of the Queen in the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes being an official patron of the Royal Foundation, becoming a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, and doing charity work for organizations of her choice. Members of the Royal Family represent the Queen and play an important role of encouraging public and charity sectors. In addition, members of the Royal Family play a role in promoting national unity and recognizing the work of the Armed Services. Every year, the Royal Family as a whole carry out over 2,000 official engagements worldwide. Since their big day, Markle and Prince Harry’s first royal tour as a married couple took place in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. The 15 day tour focused on youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts, as well as introducing new Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy projects. One of the Royal Foundation’s notable events created by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games, was a highlight of their trip. The biggest role of all for the Duchess is taking over the Queen’s position of welcoming the youth in the Queen’s Young Leaders program.
Breaking royal barriers
The Duchess of Sussex reminds us every day that well-behaved women seldom make history. Meghan Markle is the biggest breath of fresh air we’ve seen from the royal family in a while thanks to her charisma. While she fully embraces her new role as a royal, she has shown that she still stays true to her personal style every now and then. Starting with the royal wedding, Markle made her mark by proudly showcasing her African-American roots. Having an African-American bishop and all-black choir in the royal wedding was absolutely unheard of before Meghan came on the scene. The Queen expects all royals to keep PDA to a minimum when they’re out in public, but everyone can see how hot Meghan and Harry are for each other. They don’t shy away from their affection, and broke royal protocol by holding hands during the wedding ceremony. A female royal must always dress conservatively, though Meghan stays true to her personal fashion style by sporting off the shoulder necklines and occasionally having dark colored nails.
New additions to the family
The royal family continues to grow. Kensington Palace announced the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting right before their first royal tour. The child of Meghan and Harry will be seventh in line for the throne, automatically bumping Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie down in the queue. While the Queen can expect the birth of her sixth great-grandchild in the spring of 2019, her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie of York, brought forth yet another new member to the royal family when she got married in October. Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, joins both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle as commoners who have married into the royal family. Though royals marrying outsiders was typically frowned upon many years ago, a new era has officially come for the British monarchy. Day by day, the new royals are igniting a sense of modernization among the royal family.
