Prince Harry has always been a bit of a rebel compared to the rest of the royal family, and when he married Meghan Markle, she joined him in his rebellious ways. Harry and Meghan have broken protocol so many times of late. Sure, they're not technically working royals anymore, but it's still so strange to see them blatantly breaking regulations that the royals have followed for decades.
It's worth noting that not all protocol is created equal. Some of the fashion rules seem to be more of a strong suggestion by Queen Elizabeth than an actual requirement — especially considering that even Kate Middleton has breached protocol from time to time with her style. But some of the rules are more steadfast, like the no talking about politics, one that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently broke in a big way.
They're now free to do whatever they want, but it's worth noting that their rule-breaking days didn't start just when they left royal life. They've been living by their own rules for a while.
Here are 20 times Meghan and Harry broke royal protocol.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Stepping Down From Royal Life
Let's just get this out of the way, because it was the biggest breach of royal protocol in decades. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were supposed to serve the public in the name of the Queen for the rest of their lives. Instead, after a little over a year of marriage, they called it quits with the monarchy and left their positions as working royals.
Meghan Attended Christmas Before the Wedding
The protocol breaks started long before their exit from royal life, though. After their engagement, but before their wedding, Meghan attended the royal Christmas church service. Usually that event is restricted to the royals and their spouses, but the rules were bent a bit to let Harry's fiancée come.
... And Then They Skipped Christmas
Harry went from asking special permission to bring Meghan to Christmas to snubbing the Queen's celebrations in 2019. Instead, he, Meghan, baby Archie, and Meghan's mom had a small gathering together. It's not that big of a protocol break, though. Will and Kate have skipped before, too.
When Harry Flew to See Meghan
According to Express, protocol dictates that the royals can't combine personal vacations with their work trips. But Harry did just that when he finished a tour of the Caribbean and then flew to see Meghan in Toronto — instead of going straight home. It was early in their relationship, and he just couldn't stand being without her.
Wedding Cake Flavor
It may seem silly that something as small as the flavor of a wedding cake could be part of royal protocol, but this is the British monarchy we're talking about. (It's deeply rooted in tradition.) So when Harry and Meghan went with lemon elderflower instead of fruitcake, it got everyone talking.
Prince Harry Wears a Wedding Ring
It may seem obvious that Harry would wear a ring after marrying Meghan, but that's not typical for royal marriages. According to Vogue, traditionally, royal men weren't supposed to show signs of commitment (LOL, OK), and none of them wear wedding bands on their ring finger — except for Harry.
Shutting Their Own Car Doors
Since they're royals, menial tasks — like shutting a car door — aren't supposed to be done by them. They have attendants for a reason, but Harry and Meghan have both shut their doors on different occasions. This isn't that serious of a rule, though, since even Kate Middleton has been caught doing the same thing.
Meghan's Fashion
When wasn't Meghan's style breaking protocol? She's worn wedges, nail polish, black when she wasn't going to a funeral, exposed her shoulders, skipped the pantyhose, and more just in the two years she was a working royal. She must be relieved that she can now wear whatever she wants.
So Much PDA
Will and Kate don't even hold hands in public, but Harry and Meghan hold hands, rub each other's backs, and even kiss in public. It's all normal couple behavior, but it's pretty out of place for the royals, so people always took note of when the Sussexes would express PDA.
Hugging Fans
Not only do they hug each other in public, Harry and Meghan have hugged strangers. Protocol dictates that people aren't supposed to touch the royals, much less hug them, but the Duke and Duchess have broken that rule several times — usually when greeting their young fans who are just too excited to keep their distance.
Not Doing a Public Post-Birth Photo Shoot
Princess Diana and Kate Middleton set a precedent for a public baby reveal hours after the birth of a new royal. But Meghan and Harry wanted a more private birth experience. Instead, they waited a few days before doing an intimate photo shoot at Windsor Castle, rather than in front of the hospital for all to see.
Not Giving Archie a Title
Unlike his royal cousins, Archie isn't Prince Archie. Harry and Meghan broke with tradition to allow Archie a chance at a more regular life without a title. Perhaps they knew they wouldn't be sticking around for long and wanted to prepare their son young for life as a commoner.
Not Releasing Archie Merch
Prior to Archie's birth, it was customary for the royals to release official merchandise to celebrate a new royal's birth. Insider reported that Will and Kate did it for all three of their children — creating official pillboxes, plates, mugs, and more to commemorate the special occasions. But Harry and Meghan, who made it clear they didn't want Archie's birth to be a spectacle, declined to follow in the Cambridges' footsteps.
Upstaging Will & Kate
Business Insider reported that it's royal protocol that the members of the family aren't supposed to overshadow the others while they're working. For example, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wouldn't necessarily schedule an event the same day Kate had a big engagement. But Harry and Meghan ignored this when they released their Harry and Meghan: An African Journey documentary when William and Kate were still on their royal tour of Pakistan.
The documentary definitely drew some eyes away from the work the Cambridges were doing, especially since it contained the much talked-about interview of Meghan getting emotional talking about her postpartum experience.
Meghan Signed an Autograph
Royals aren't allowed to give autographs, because there's a security concern about their signatures being forged. But Meghan's actress side came out with a young fan, and she gave her an autograph anyway. It was a cute moment, and that girl won't soon forget meeting Meghan and getting her signature, but it was definitely against the rules.
Taking a Photo With a Fan
Royals aren't typically allowed to take selfies with fans, but Harry snapped a photo of Meghan with a little girl who looked so much like Meghan's mini-me. It was a super cute protocol-break in this case. And, hey, William's taken a selfie with a fan before, too, so Harry and Meghan are a little off the hook here.
Skipping the Red Carpet
For the duke and duchess' tour to South Africa, they declined to have a big red carpet welcome or fancy, formal to-do when they landed. Instead, they kept things simple and went right to work giving a speech at an event. Harry and Meghan like to keep things casual, and this was just one more example of that.
Using Royal Titles
Before they gave up His and Her Royal Highness for good, Harry and Meghan took not having titles for a test drive. According to Vanity Fair, during their tour of South Africa, Harry and Meghan wanted people to call them just by their first names and leave all the formalities out of it.
Birthday Wishes
Harry and Meghan broke protocol several times when wishing their niece and nephews a happy birthday on Instagram. Fans noticed that the Sussex account tended to leave off the formal Prince and Princess when addressing the kids. For example, for Charlotte's birthday, the Sussexes wrote, "Happy Birthday, Charlotte! Lots of love, H and M xo." And some people felt this was a breach of protocol since Charlotte is technically Princess Charlotte and should be addressed as such.
Talking About Politics
The royal family never talks about politics or even political issues, but Meghan and Harry aren't technically working royals anymore — so they both participated in a video about the upcoming election and voting. Of course, it was about US politics, rather than UK politics. Harry even threw out a dig in the video about how he's never been allowed to vote in England. Even though they're not working royals now, it was really jarring to see them both break such a long-held protocol.
