Meghan Markle reportedly thinks that Kate Middleton has been treated better by the royal family than she was, and she may be right. There's a terrible double standard when it comes to how people and the press talk about Kate versus Meghan. From the moment she married Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex became the topic of posts about all the protocols she was breaking and how she kept doing things the late Queen Elizabeth disapproved of.
But many of the supposed royal "rules" that Meghan broke during her time as a working royal had already been broken before … by Kate. Only when the Princess of Wales broke them, no one noticed or talked about it — and if they did talk about it, it was to praise Kate for shaking up tradition.
A source told the Daily Mail that Meghan allegedly complained to her friends about how the royal family never stood behind her like they would have for Kate. "No one would have put up with it, and the broken and outdated system would have been revised" if Kate had been subjected to the nasty press attacks, according to the source. "Those outlets responsible for their vicious attacks would have been shut out."
Perhaps that's true, but because Kate so rarely got bad press, it's hard to know. One thing is for sure, though: Royal fans and media outlets alike were not always kind to Meghan like they were to Kate — and that's got to wear on a person. (No wonder Meghan didn't want to be in the royal spotlight anymore.) All anyone ever did was point out all the things she was supposedly doing wrong, but when she broke these rules they'd already been broken by Kate.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
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Skipping the Queen's Christmas
Much was made about Meghan and Harry skipping Christmas with the Queen in 2019 to celebrate quietly with Meghan's mom, but Meghan's detractors must have forgotten that Kate and Prince William did the same thing in 2016. Instead of going to Sandringham with the Queen, Kate and William went to Berkshire for the holiday with Kate's parents. Perhaps people didn't realize because there were still photos of the family going to church, but they were definitely not with the Queen.
New Mom Struggles in the Spotlight
Although Meghan was chastised for "complaining" about things like the intense pressure on her following Archie's birth, Kate spoke on a podcast about her own struggles with being a public new mom and got nothing but praise for her candidness. Kate opened up about having to do a photo shoot hours after giving birth and called the experience "terrifying." Yet, she didn't get the blowback that Meghan did.
Meghan Wore a Crossbody Bag
When Meghan wore a crossbody purse on a trip to Scotland, she got called out for breaking from royal tradition. Usually, royal women carry clutches, which they can use to delicately cover themselves as they get out of cars in front of photographers and to avoid handshakes. Meghan's chic green purse goes so well with her outfit and is super cute, but it caused quite a stir.
Kate's Worn a Crossbody Bag, Too
Meanwhile, when Kate wore a crossbody bag to a polo match, Hello! magazine proudly declared of her fashion choice, "We approve!" Kate can get away with doing the exact same things that Meghan does, but it doesn't become the huge deal that it does with Meghan. Nobody wrote that Kate was breaking protocol with her purse choice.
Trademarking Titles
When people found out that Meghan had trademarked Sussex Royal, they flipped out. But Kate did the same thing for her own brand in 2013, and Buckingham Palace released a statement defending the choice. "[It] protects against other people using its name illegally," the statement said.
Nobody came to Meghan's defense years later.
Not Wearing a Hat With the Queen
Meghan's first official event with Queen Elizabeth went well except for one major thing: The duchess got blasted for not wearing a hat when the Queen was wearing one. Royal expert Katie Nicholl told Glamour that she thinks that's one of the only times the royals were truly upset by one of Meghan's protocol breaks. "I think possibly eyebrows were raised when she didn't wear a hat on her first official engagement with the Queen, and I do think that was a mistake," Katie said.
Kate Also Skipped the Hat
But no one cared when neither Kate nor Camilla wore a hat at an engagement with the Queen in 2012. It was also one of Kate's first engagements with the Queen like it was for Meghan, and she got a free pass for the faux pas. It doesn't seem like the press at the time even noticed. Not so for Meghan. The press notices everything with her.
Meghan Hugged a Fan
When Meghan hugged a young fan, it was a protocol break, according to the press. "Royals typically only use a handshake as a greeting because there are very specific rules about touching royals," Town and Country reported about the moment. But Meghan is far from the first royal to give a hug. On that same trip, Harry also hugged fans, and Kate has done so many times.
Kate Has Doled Out Hugs Before
Take this moment in 2014, when Kate hugged a young girl during the royals' Australia and New Zealand trip — and that's just one of the many, many times that the princess has doled out more than a handshake when greeting her fans. When Kate hugs people, it's not called a protocol break like it is for Meghan. Instead, Kate's hugs are described by the press as "heartwarming" moments.
Wearing a Pantsuit
For one of her first solo events in 2018, Meghan donned a smart black pantsuit. She's used to wearing suits from all her time playing Rachel Zane on the appropriately titled TV show Suits, but she caught flak for the chic outfit, with rumors the Queen allegedly disapproved of non-dress or skirt outfits at royal functions.
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Kate Wore a Pink Pantsuit
If the Queen disapproved of pantsuits, then no one told Kate, because she once donned this all-pink suit. A photo of Kate in the outfit was even posted to the official Royal family Instagram account that was meant to document the Queen's life — so maybe Queen Elizabeth didn't disapprove as much as the press would have believed. Meghan was probably just fine wearing that perfectly normal, nice outfit to that event.
Meghan Crosses Her Legs
On more than one occasion, photographers have caught Meghan crossing her legs at the knee instead of at the ankle. Usually, female members of the royal family do the dainty "duchess slant" popularized by Kate, but adhered to by others royals, such as Princess Diana. But just because Kate usually gently slants her legs to avoid upskirt shots, it doesn't mean she never crosses her legs like Meghan.
Kate Doesn't Always 'Duchess Slant'
Here's Kate with her legs crossed at an event, just like Meghan. Nothing was made of this photo of Kate, though, nor all the times that other royals — such as Queen Consort Camilla — have crossed their legs in the same way. Meanwhile, poor Meghan couldn't catch a break about how she was supposedly breaking protocol by crossing her legs.
Meghan's Off-the-Shoulder Dress
Starting from the time Meghan got married in an off-the-shoulder wedding dress to when she wore this pink shoulder-baring gown, people have chastised her for showing too much skin as a royal. (As if.) This blush, off-the-shoulder dress was worn by Meghan to Trooping the Colour in 2018. It's stunning and should have received only positive attention.
Kate's Off-the-Shoulder Dress Won Her Praise
Funnily enough, Kate received nothing but praise for her red off-the-shoulder dress. Never mind that she also wore it to an event celebrating the Queen's birthday, just like Meghan did. Instead, the Princess of Wales look was called "her hottest" yet. There's definitely a double standard as far as what Meghan gets criticized for and that Kate gets praised for.
Meghan Closed Her Own Car Door
How dare she! Meghan broke another "protocol" when she closed her own car door on her way to an event instead of waiting for a staffer to close it for her. Although not a strict rule, usually most royal family members have their doors open and shut for them. But Meghan's just like us and prefers to do some tasks herself. This one is an easy one, but the duchess probably had no idea that she'd cause such a stir.
Kate Has Closed Her Door Before, Too
Everyone can just calm down, because Meghan's not the first member of the royal family to slam a car door shut. Kate's done it many times, and she just doesn't get a whole press writeup when it happens. For what it's worth, William has also shut his own door. Even the Queen herself closed a door during her lifetime.
It's really NBD.
Meghan's Skirt Was Deemed Too Short
A pregnant Meghan stepped out in a chic black and white dress, blazer, heels, and bare legs in March 2019 for an International Women's Day event. Almost immediately, she was hit with accusations that her dress showed off too much leg. Guess the hemline police weren't patrolling when Kate wore almost the exact same outfit when she was pregnant with Prince George.
Kate's Look Is Identical to Meghan's
Just like Meghan did in 2019, Kate had on a black and white dress, blazer, heels, and bare legs when she visited the Warner Bros. Studios in 2013. Her hemline is just as short — if not shorter — than Meghan's, but she didn't receive the same backlash that Meghan did. Poor Meghan may have thought if she just copied a Kate look she'd be in the clear. Nope!
Wearing Wedges
Meghan has donned wedges a couple of times — including on a visit to the beach — which seems like a fitting time to wear wedges. Nevertheless, she was called out by InStyle in a since-deleted article for the break in protocol because, supposedly, the Queen didn't like wedges as much as traditional pumps. And then, horror of horrors, Meghan took off her shoes to walk on the sand … like anybody would.
When Kate Wears Wedges, She Gets Praised
The princess wears pumps often, but she also often wears boots, open-toe shoes, and, yes, wedges. When Kate wore the look, she was praised by the same outlet that called Meghan out. "Kate Middleton Just Proved That These Are the Most Versatile Shoes of the Summer," the headline of the since-deleted post read — and there wasn't a single mention in the piece about royal protocol.
