One thing that is for sure about the relationship between Prince Harry and Megan Markle: It is breaking a lot of rules.
It shouldn't be much of a shock that monarchs and royalty have plenty of rules and unwritten guidelines they're supposed to follow. To the normal citizen, it likely seems a little ridiculous. And maybe Harry and Markle feel the same way!
The frequency with which they are busting the rules and doing things their own way certainly lends to that.
One of the strangest ones to get called out is how casual Megan and Harry seem to be. Namely that Markle likes to put her hands in her pockets, something that is just too much for some in the royal business in the UK according to Fox News:
"There is good casual and there is bad casual. Placing a hand in the pocket is too relaxed and unprofessional, however dressed down Harry and his wife may have been,"
She also got criticized for not wearing pantyhose. Just these weird checkboxes and details that everybody seems to care about but the royal couple -- which is good.
Public displays of affection are also a running issue with the royal couple -- at least it is an issue for those sticklers for the rules. As Fox and The Sun point out, there aren't official rules for PDA with a royal couple, but it just isn't something they typically do.
Even Kate Middleton and Prince William don't dive into showing their affection. It's all smiles and hovering with those people. But not Markle and Prince Harry.
Criticism of Meghan Markle's clothing choices doesn't just stop at pockets and pantyhose. There is a long list of comments about her choices, like how she went barefoot during a visit to Bondi Beach and even had offensive nail polish according to Fox:
Markle was also wearing red toenail polish, which is believed to be "vulgar," according to royal standards, Express reports. Queen Elizabeth, in particular, favors subtle nail polishes — such as a pale pink, the British newspaper claims.
There is also her choice to wear a sleeveless dress to her first "Trooping the Colour" according to Fashion magazine and her decision to wear a crossbody handbag in public.
There was also the matter of Christmas 2017 where Markle and Harry were welcomed to Windsor palace BEFORE their marriage. This just isn't done according to the reports and "experts," citing Kate Middleton only being welcomed to the family after she was married to Prince William.
It seems silly, and it is good that this young couple is around to scoff at these old traditions. Royal tradition is made to be broken.
And if you thought their wedding was traditional, think again.
Not only did they get married on a Saturday, which is breaking with the tradition of royal weddings dropping during the week, but the couple also swapped rings. Typically the male members of the royal family do not wear a ring, but Prince Harry went right for it.
There is also the matter that Markle had been married before, something that isn't typical for a royal wedding or royal bride. But honestly, if Prince Charles can fool around and get divorced from Diana, these type of facts just shouldn't matter.
Markle is also keen to do things on her own that a royal madam typically wouldn't do. This ranges from the mundane, like closing her own door, to the important topics like her opinion on abortion.
She also received the solo treatment with her official coat of arms, leaving her family name off and focusing only on her and her background.
A big issue that has appeared with both Prince Harry and Markle is their openness to meet with fans and pose for photos with them.
Harry made quite the moment when he decided to break this particular rule according to Fox News:
"Life will always be all right, you know that? I’ve made it to 34 years old, and life is great. I have a beautiful wife and a baby on the way. Your life is going to be sorted. Don’t you worry about that," Harry was captured on video telling the boy. Afterward, Prince Harry agreed to pose for a picture with Nante.
This is worth breaking, honestly. Let it go, royals!
And finally, Meghan Markle's interview with Vanity Fair about her relationship with Prince Harry before their marriage was quite the issue for people in royal circles. According to Fashion Magazine, it was a shock and an openness that we don't typically see from a royal couple. And it was worth it:
“We’re two people who are really happy and in love,” she said. “We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception. Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.”
