These breaks in protocol caused unending negative press for Markle, which was a huge reason why she and Prince Harry decided to step back from their roles as senior members of The Firm in the first place. These are the supposed faux pas Markle committed.
Wearing Pantsuits
Another royal fashion faux pas Markle is accused of committing is wearing pants, specifically pantsuits. Queen Elizabeth II reportedly prefers royal women to wear dresses or skirts during public events, which Markle allegedly chafed at.
Wearing Wedges And Going Barefoot
Meghan Markle committed a two-for-one faux pas by wearing wedges, though the shoe style is supposedly verboten in royal circles, then caused yet another stir by taking off the offending footwear and walking barefoot on the beach.
Prince Harry also went barefoot while walking in the sand, but that’s not as eye-catching as Markle doing it, so it largely went unmentioned.
Wearing A Non-British Designer Dress At Archie’s Christening
Markle supposedly flouted royal protocol once again at her son Archie’s christening by wearing a Dior dress. Other royals, like Kate Middleton, chose to wear dresses made by British designers.
Middleton wore Alexander McQueen gowns for the christening of all three of her children. It’s presumed that Markle chose to wear Dior because of her wardrobe strategy, which aims to promote female designers. After Maria Grazia Chiuri was named Dior’s creative director, Markle has been a champion of the brand.
Not Wearing Pantyhose With A Dress
This is a royal protocol that Markle has been dinged for breaking over and over again. The Duchess Of Sussex often opts to forgo wearing pantyhose while wearing a dress, though it’s considered taboo for a royal woman such as her to do so.
Crossing Her Legs in Front of the Queen
Markle’s habit of crossing her legs, especially when in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, has been getting her into hot water with royal watchers since she joined the royal family. This particular habit was apparently hard for the Duchess of Sussex to break because she was caught red-handed several times.
Meghan is spotted crossing her legs AGAIN during a service to mark RAF centenary https://t.co/Fmdpb0kpW8
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) July 10, 2018
Wearing “Immodest” Dresses
Meghan Markle’s outfits often get the former Suits actress in trouble, especially when they’re deemed “immodest.” Markle’s second wedding gown, a beautiful Stella McCartney dress, was categorized as such because it bared her shoulders.
Likewise, Markle’s exposed shoulders in her first Trooping The Color event caused a similar scandal.
Hand Holding
As newlyweds and beyond, endless complaints have been made because Prince Harry and Markle are often physically affectionate towards each other. This display of affection takes many forms, but the most common is the royal couple’s hand holding habit.
Wimbledon
Markle’s attendance at Wimbledon in the summer of 2019 caused quite a stir. The Duchess of Sussex was there to watch her friend, Serena Williams, play at the historic arena and ruffled quite a few feathers while she did so. First, the duchess wore jeans, though the dress code for the event called for formal wear.
Other attendants weren’t allowed to take photos of Markle, with the duchess’ bodyguards reportedly asking people who were doing so to stop. The final nail in the coffin? British tennis player Andy Murray was playing the set after Williams, but Markle didn’t stick around to cheer for the home team.
These faux pas, and even more, are part of the reason royal watchers, and especially tabloids, turned against Meghan Markle. The tabloids are particularly cruel to Prince Harry’s wife.
Recently, Woman’s Day claimed Markle had a meltdown over Archie’s birthday party. Gossip Cop easily proved that ridiculous rumor wrong. Then the Globe accused Markle of issuing Prince Harry a divorce ultimatum.