Meghan Markle caused waves when she joined the royal family back in 2018 as she came from a completely different world, the world of showbusiness and celebrities. There were concerns over how she would adapt to royal life and those concerns were quickly realized as Meghan would continuously flout royal protocol from the moment she arrived until the moment she and Harry left.
Previous speculation surrounding Meghan’s intentions while she was in the royal family suggested she never intended to stay. Now one royal expert has claimed that her deviations from royal protocol were very much intentional on Meghan’s part. Richard Eden detailed numerous dress protocol breaches which he suggests proves Meghan was deliberately defying royal protocol in what he labeled “a conscious, committed rebellion on her part.”
Meghan Markle frequently defied the royal family
Meghan worked for the royal firm for a little under two years (22 months), during that time she committed more than a dozen sartorial breaches which Eden detailed on his YouTube show, Reading the Royals. According to him, the Duchess of Sussex’s fashion choices almost always differed from other royal women such as the late Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton.
Some examples include Meghan’s refusal to wear tights, or wearing off-the-shoulder clothing, and even wearing non-British designers to a British fashion awards ceremony. She was constantly making headlines for failing to adhere to the strict royal protocol.
“Given the volume of headlines that Meghan created, people forget how brief her royal tenure was. It spanned a mere 22 months, from her marriage in May 2018 to her acrimonious departure in March 2020… In that time, there were more than a dozen examples of her breaking the rules – about one every two months.”
Eden points to more specific examples like Wimbledon 2018, in which Meghan wore a pair of white, wide-leg trousers while Kate wore a dress. According to royal rules, skirts or dresses were expected to be worn for the occasion.
Even Meghan’s engagement photo saw the Duchess wearing a £56,000 (roughly $75,000) dress as opposed to Kate who’s engagement dress was £385 (roughly $500).
Was this an intentional rebellion?
According to Eden, all of these instances were not mere accidents or slip-ups on Meghan’s part, but rather an intentional “rebellion.” According to him, the duchess refused to adhere to the royal contract and that her actions were a warning sign that she would commit the ultimate defiance in leaving.
“The signs were there from the beginning that Meghan refused to accept the contract: the deal that says being a royal comes with undoubted benefits, but that there’s a price to be paid.”
Eden claims that Meghan never wanted to dedicate her life to public service, something which is expected of all members of the royal family. He points out that one’s “individual brand and personality must always come second” to the royal family. This is something it seems Meghan simply could not accept leading her to defy the rules and ultimately step away from the working royal life along with Harry.
While Harry seeks to rebuild his relationship with the royals, it doesn’t look like the firm are willing to risk a repeat of last time when it comes to Meghan. The duchess is on her own, although her individual brand seems to be her main focus now anyways.
Published: Aug 8, 2025 09:24 am