Unless you’ve been living under a nice rock for the past six months (and in that case, you have my full admiration), you’re probably aware that – according to tabloid sources, at least – Meghan Markle, the new Duchess of Sussex, has been taking a steamroller to that most nebulous (yet also uncompromising) of concepts, ‘royal protocol.’ She’s been breaking royal protocol by walking around with bare legs (in British summertime!). She’s been breaking royal protocol by wearing the wrong sort of hats. And she’s most egregiously been breaking royal protocol with her fondness for slightly messy buns. It's almost as if the royal family have never been embroiled in, you know, actual scandals of the non-sartorial kind before.
Most recently, Meghan’s been breaking royal protocol with her bare shoulders. Having previously incited a flurry of outraged headlines when she’d dared to wear sleeveless dresses for royal events, the Duchess’s first Trooping the Colour outfit – an off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera co-ord in dusty pink – was again construed as violating these unwritten royal fashion rules. Headlines compared and contrasted the Duchess of Cambridge’s more ‘appropriate’ outfit, with its covered shoulders and long sleeves, while some Twitter commentators were so incensed that they declared this rather tasteful pink ensemble to be a slight, an outrage, and utterly inappropriate.
This is, of course, a storm in a bone china tea cup. While the Trooping the Colour (which marks the Queen’s official birthday) is a key event in the royal family’s calendar, there are no hard rules about the precise ratio of exposed female shoulder that can be displayed. Looking back at photos from past balcony appearances shows that, yes, Meghan’s sister-in-law Kate has tended to stick to long-sleeved dresses and jackets, but other royals (Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex to name a few) have played it less safe. Look back through the Duchess of Cambridge’s style file and you’ll note that Kate is actually fully onboard with the cold-shoulder neckline: her most recent foray into the trend came on last year’s European tour, when she chose a red off-the-shoulder gown by Alexander McQueen for an evening drinks reception.
Why, then, is the media so invested in this idea of Meghan as a royal rule breaker? Part of our ongoing fascination with the royals is rooted in their lack of transparency: they’re the antithesis of celebrity over-sharers in that almost everything we know about their day-to-day lives is rooted in speculation and shrouded in layers of centuries-long mystique. However realistic The Crown might seem, we’ll never really know what goes on behind palace doors, so, this idea of a dusty and mysterious rule book in the basement of Buckingham Palace (probably decreeing that all royal women must wear flesh-coloured tights until the ravens leave the Tower of London) is a compelling one.
Sometimes, Meghan’s apparent willingness to side-step the royal rubric is framed in a positive way: she’s a ‘breath of fresh air,’ someone who’s bringing the monarchy well and truly into the twenty-first century. But sometimes, the subtext is more troubling. Implying that Meghan doesn’t know the rules, that she isn’t quite ‘one of them,’ even repeatedly describing her as ‘modern’ and ‘non-traditional,’ is a way of emphasising difference, of othering her without explicitly talking about race. The digital headlines about Meghan 'breaking royal protocol' aren't going to stop any time soon (neither are the implicit comparisons with Kate) but it's important that we look behind the clickbait and ask what they're really trying to say.
Look back at the best dressed guests at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in the gallery below...
All The Guests At Meghan & Harry's Wedding
1 of 31Earl Spencer and Lady Karen Spencer
Prince Harry's uncle - and Princess Diana's younger brother, with his wife, Lady Karen Spencer.
2 of 31James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley
The "Beautiful" singer and his wife Sofia arrive at the royal wedding
3 of 31Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre
Luther star Idris Elba and his then-fiancee Sabrina Dhowre were surprise guests at the wedding
4 of 31Oprah Winfrey
Oprah arrived at the wedding dressed in Stella McCartney
5 of 31Carole Middleton
Pippa and Kate Middleton's mother arrived at the royal wedding in an ice-blue skirt suit and matching fascinator
6 of 31Amal and George Clooney
Amal and George Clooney both looked incredible - Amal is 100% topping the best-dressed list in her mustard yellow Stella McCartney ensemble
7 of 31Cressida Bonas
Harry's ex Cressida was spotted in London-based brand Eponine
8 of 31Victoria and David Beckham
Victoria and David Beckham made their entrance at the royal wedding - she's wearing a navy dress that's not a million miles away from the dress she wore to Kate and WIlliam's wedding in 2011.
9 of 31Pippa Middleton and James Matthews
Pippa Middleton was spotted wearing a £495 dress by brand The Fold - just one day before her own wedding anniversary
10 of 31Chloe Madeley and James Haskell
Chloe Madeley arrived with her fiancee - England international rugby player James Haskell
11 of 31Kitty Spencer
Lady Kitty Spencer, Prince Harry's cousin, arrived wearing a forest green floral dress by Dolce and Gabbana
12 of 31Fergie, Duchess of York
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Prince Andrew's ex wife and the mother of princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrives at St George's chapel
13 of 31Julia Carey and James Cordon
The actor and talk show host arrived with his wife, Julia
14 of 31Joss Stone
The musician, a close friend of Prince Harry, arrived at St George's chapel with a friend.
15 of 31Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
The Great Gatsby actress arrives wearing William &Son with her husband, musician Marcus Mumford.
16 of 31Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
Tennis star - and friend of Meghan's - arrived wearing Versace with her husband Alexis Ohanian
17 of 31Princess Anne
Prince Harry's aunt arrives at the chapel in a red and black ensemble
18 of 31Princess Beatrice
Prince Harry's first cousin wore a dark blue dress by Gainsbourg paired with a matching Fiona Graham headband. She wore shoes by Valentino.
19 of 31Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall
The Olympic equestrian (nee Phillips) and one of Prince Harry's first cousins, arrived with her husband.
20 of 31Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie, one of Prince Harry's first cousins, arrived in a powder-blue Jackie-Kennedy-inspired outfit. The dress is by Roksanda Viola and the pill-box hat is by Stephen Jones.
21 of 31Sophie, Countess of Wessex
The countess (married to Prince Harry's uncle Edward) arrived wearing a bespoke bodice top and midi skirt by British couture and ready-to-wear designer Suzannah.
22 of 31Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty the Queen arrives shortly before the bride wearing a flared silk dress in lime, lemon, purple and grey. Her coat is lime silk tweed. Both are by Stuart Parvin. The Queen's hat is also lime silk tweed by Angela Kelly and is adorned with handmade crystals and pearls by Lucy Price.
23 of 31Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
The duchess of Cornwall arrives with Prince Charles. She is wearing a pink silk coat dress by Anna Valentine and her hat is by royal favorite Phillip Treacy.
24 of 31Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Prince Harry's sister-in-law sits in the chapel between Prince Andrew and the Duchess of Cornwall. She wears a yellow silk coat by Alexander McQueen -- who also famously designed her wedding gown when he married Prince William in 2011 -- paired with a Phillip Treacy hat and Jimmy Choos.
25 of 31Doria Ragland
Mother-of-the-bride Doria Ragland, who rode partway to Windsor with Meghan, arrives at St George's Chapel in a mint green ensemble by Oscar De la Renta. Her hat is by Stephen Jones.
26 of 31Chelsy Davy
Prince Harry's former girlfriend arrives dressed in navy.
27 of 31Gina Torres
The American actress was one of Meghan's Suits co-stars, many of whome who were invited to the ceremony.
28 of 31Princess Charlotte
Prince Harry's niece was one of the flower girls. She looked adorable in her Givenchy dress and flower crown.
29 of 31Sarah Rafferty
Actress Sarah Rafferty - who co-starred with Meghan in Suits -arrives in a navy blue ensemble
30 of 31Patrick J Adams
The actor who played Meghan's on-screen love interest in Suits looked dapper as he arrives for the ceremony with his wife Troian Bellisario, who wore a cream bell-sleeved dress with embellished shoulders.
31 of 31Abigail Spencer and Priyanka Chopra
The actors - both friends of Meghan - looked happy and relaxed as they arrived at the chapel together.