People were happy but also perplexed when Prince Harry revealed his engagement to Meghan Markle. Not only was she an actress and an American – neither of which is normal for a royal relationship – she was also a divorcee. The prince had broken a long-standing tradition just by proposing to her. Of course, that would not be the only convention broken by the future royal pair. However, as Christmas came, the Queen made an unexpected revelation regarding Markle.

Additionally, Markle is the first woman of color to marry a British royal since the 18th century. When asked about racism in the BBC interview, Markle said that while she found it “disheartening,” she was proud of who she was.

For her part, Markle was certainly familiar with Prince Harry — everyone is – but she had no idea how the evening would go. “Because I was unfamiliar with him, I asked [my buddy] when she said she would match us up, ‘Is he nice?’ If he wasn’t kind, it didn’t make sense.'” However, she deemed him quite pleasant. The date, which occurred in July 2016, was flawless.

Harry described those five days as “absolutely fantastic.” They began to fall in love throughout this period. “We were truly alone, which was critical for me to ensure we had an opportunity to get to know one another.” Once they returned, they maintained their connection but kept it as low-key as possible. They were, however, unsuccessful.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” the statement began. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.” It was quite uncommon for a member of the royal family to make such a statement.

That was the case. The Palace confirmed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on November 27, 2017. The duo appeared to be madly in love in the BBC interview that accompanied the news. “The fact that I fell in love with Markle so incredibly quickly was confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned, everything was just perfect,” Harry exclaimed.

As a result, a professional lip reader was recruited. Tina Lannin, a captioner for 121 Captions who’s even helped the police, told The Sun what the two had been saying in their conversation. To start, Markle stops her future groom as he describes their Botswana vacation, interjecting, “It was five days, yeah.”

It was the sort of thing that many average couples do when conversing with others, and royal family supporters found it endearing. Numerous individuals expressed their excitement in the comments section underneath the YouTube video of the two with their mics turned off. “Aww, they’re so cute,” one lady said. “You can tell they are madly in love,” another added.

Prince Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married in 1981. They, too, conducted an interview about it, during which a reporter inquired as to whether they were in love. Diana said swiftly, “Of course.” Charles’ response was significantly different. “Whatever ‘in love’ means,” he added nervously. As we all know, the marriage did not last.

Unfortunately, Diana died in a tragic vehicle accident in 1997. However, she would probably be proud to know that her sons have developed the types of happy relationships she never did. Prince William, her eldest son, is happily married and the father of three young children. And Prince Harry appears to be on the brink of doing the same.

Since then, many royals have divorced from their marriages, including Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. Even still, the Queen’s official stance is “no divorce.” The most notable exception to this rule occurred in 2005 when Prince Charles married the divorcee, Camilla Parker Bowles. However, the Queen did not attend the civil ceremony.

Following the announcement, The Washington Post noted, “The royal family welcomes a divorced, biracial American. That’s a huge change.” Without a doubt, it was. Thankfully, many people embraced what appeared to be an indicator of a more modern and open royal family. Even Markle’s outfit choice for her first official photograph seemed to indicate that times were changing.

It’s reported that the royal family has a clothing code that heavily favors the wearing of tights. After all, fashion is an essential element of how the royal family portrays itself to the world.

And then, when Christmas came, she bent another. Or, more precisely, the Queen bent the tradition for her. Markle was permitted to do something that Kate Middleton was not.

On the other hand, despite her engagement to Prince William in 2010, Kate Middleton wasn’t invited. Similarly, Mike Tindall was also not permitted to accompany Zara Phillips to the Queen’s castle in Norfolk until they married.

According to one etiquette expert, the unwritten rule amongst the family is “no ring; no bring.” As with most things about the royal family, their rules and traditions are all quite distinct from what ordinary people do.

“In 2010, Kate was not invited to do so after her engagement to William,” Fitzwilliams continued. “Only spouses and close family are usually invited.” The royal Christmas celebration at Sandringham House is more of a ceremonial royal occasion than a family gathering, and it includes a religious service on Christmas Day.

But Christmas in the royal family is a complicated affair, and Markle, who had never experienced it before, would have found it especially so. Everyone arrives at the estate in chronological order, with Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles arriving last. The guests are allegedly given timetables outlining where they need to go and when they need to be there.

Since Markle was not yet royal, she would have been outranked by most of those she was spending Christmas with. Fortunately, she simply had to give the Queen a curtsy.

Indeed, Markle would have worn a dress and, most likely, a tiara to dinner when the rest of us prefer to be in our most comfortable pants for a filling Christmas dinner.

It’s typical for women to wear hats on this outing, and Markle did so in this case. Well, sort of. The fashion industry appeared to be split on what exactly the accessory was. Eventually, ELLE.com determined that Markle wore a “fascinator-ish hat.”

Similar to the “Kate Effect,” in which the general public instantly purchased anything Kate wore, a “Meghan Effect” began. Markle donned a Line the Label coat for her formal engagement photos, and the company’s website soon crashed due to the traffic.

After all, history dictates that those who marry into the royal household should make an effort to preserve a good rapport with the Queen. While you will no longer have your head chopped off for bad behavior, one of her legendary frowns is reputedly equally as awful. Although Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle will never share the most explicit details of their respective ties with the Queen, the public can piece together the puzzle. And it appears as though the head of state has a different relationship with each of the two women.

So, if you’re one of the six persons in line for the throne, you’d best hope the Queen approves of your intended spouse. Take it from Prince Charles, the Monarch’s direct heir. His first marriage was the ill-fated union with Lady Diana. Following her demise, he married Camilla Parker Bowles, the lady with whom he had an affair.

The Queen missed the first bit of her son’s wedding to Camilla. Her status as Church of England’s head complicated matters, as the faith traditionally opposes divorce. However, she did attend the subsequent blessing ceremony, showing that she favored the marriage.

And Prince Andrew, the Queen’s second son, is also divorced, having separated from his wife Sarah Ferguson in 1992. Because she had three divorced children, the Queen despaired. Actually, she famously termed those 12 months the annus horribilis. In November of that year, she delivered a speech in which she stated, with characteristic understatement, that it was “not a year I would look back on with unadulterated delight.”

Thus, the best advice for Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle has always been to strive to be more like Countess Sophie. And it appears like Kate is doing just that. According to royal sources, the Duchess of Cambridge has enlisted Sophie’s assistance as a mentor and supporter of her various endeavors.

The Monarch met her for the first time in 2008, at Prince William’s cousin Peter Phillips’ wedding to Autumn Kelly. William remarked that the couple clicked immediately.

“Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton,” she said in the notice she signed.

Kate, of course, is the mother of Prince William’s children. The Queen is now a great-grandmother, and the Palace has issued a message from the Monarch each time a new Cambridge child is born. The Queen was reportedly “delighted” on each occasion.

The Duchess has been photographed wearing a variety of amazing outfits that have been passed down through generations in the royal family.

And that is not the only piece of clothing she got from the Queen. Additionally, the Duchess of Cambridge has donned the Monarch’s gift of Bahraini earrings, a fern-shaped brooch from 1953, and the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara, a favorite of Princess Diana’s.

She finally decided to make a handcrafted item as a Christmas present for the Queen.

Kate recalls being worried about what the Queen would think of her gift. Luckily, it appeared the Queen had enjoyed it as it was on the table the next day. The Duchess of Cambridge was pleased by the Queen’s display of appreciation and went on to say, “I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody.”

According to a source in April 2019, “Kate and the Queen have always had a special bond, but they developed a deeper friendship after she and William moved from Anmer Hall, Norfolk, to Kensington Palace, which is within walking distance of Buckingham Palace.”

Bear in mind that when William succeeds his grandmother and father on the throne, Kate will become his Queen consort.

The Queen continuously seems to trust Kate and Prince William’s judgements and enjoys offering them her own advice. An inside source states, “Kate asks for advice about speeches she’s due to make, whom she can depend on most within the Palace and protocol dos and don’ts. The Queen’s more than happy to impart her wisdom – she’s proud to be Catherine’s go-to adviser about royal life.”

At the time, people noted a big discrepancy between the Queen’s consent notices for Kate’s marriage and Meghan’s. When the Monarch bestowed her formal blessing on William and Kate, she referred to the future bride as “trusty and well-beloved.” However, she did not make the same remarks about Meghan.

And by all accounts, Meghan did not consider this a snub – she appeared to get along well with the Queen. Meghan referred to the Queen as “an incredible woman” in her and Harry’s 2017 post-engagement BBC television interview, while Harry noted that the Monarch’s all-important corgis had warmed to Meghan as well.

Additionally, Meghan’s first private outing with the Monarch following the wedding went well. The new Duchess of Sussex rode on the royal train with her grandmother-in-law — they would have slept on board – to attend celebrations in Chester. They appeared to be having a good time together in every shot of them.

The tight stoicism that Harry’s parents and grandparents felt compelled to practice has vanished. Harry and Meghan ushered in a new era for the royals after they got married on May 19, 2018.

And after Meghan gave birth to her and Harry’s son Archie in 2019, the Queen issued the same statement she had issued for Kate’s children’s births. Again, she was simply described as “delighted with the news.” She almost definitely congratulated Meghan privately, but the rest of the world will never know.

This sparked a firestorm — both in the media and, according to reports, in the Palace as well.

Following the revelation, the Daily Mail created the headline, “Queen’s fury as Meghan and Harry say: we quit,” while The Daily Telegraph reported the entire royal family was “deeply disappointed.”

She had been deliberating with Harry and Meghan about the best course of action. “Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” she opened her statement.

“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the royal family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life… while remaining a valued part of my family.”

The Monarch expressed she was “particularly proud”of her granddaughter-in-law and how she had “so quickly become one of the family.” She wished Meghan and Harry a “happy and peaceful new life.”

However, once the day’s events concluded, Harry and Meghan returned to Canada, where their son was staying. The family appears to be involved in each other’s life. In April 2020, the Queen celebrated her 94th birthday, during which she got a video call from Harry, Meghan, and nearly one-year-old Archie. The Sussex family had called in from Los Angeles, where they had relocated.

According to an unnamed source cited in The Sun, Harry “did not inform” his grandmother of this, but “the Queen will know there would have been little chance of talking Harry and Meghan out of it.”

In September, Grant Harrold, a former royal butler, told the Daily Express newspaper that he believed the Monarch would tell Meghan to “do as she pleases.” However, the Queen has yet to make an official statement.