All The Ways Meghan Markle Has Broken Royal Rules Since Her Engagement

Most of us live according to certain unspoken rules. Don’t take up two seats on the subway. Don’t eat canned tuna fish at work. Walk on the right side of the sidewalk. But aside from these customs (and, you know, laws), we are essentially free agents.

When Meghan Markle got engaged to a royal, the rules changed for her — big time. As we've previously noted, royals’ lives are governed by clearly delineated protocol. Members of the British royal family, for example, aren’t supposed to eat shellfish due to its potential to cause food poisoning (that meant no “shrimp on the barbie” during Meghan's tour of Australia with Harry).

When she became a royal (the Duchess of Sussex, to be specific), Meghan had to put her former public persona to rest — no social media presence, no blog, no acting career. Meghan, however, is not a typical royal. Already, a Black American divorcee, Meghan challenged standards of what a royal has historically been. Now that she’s married Harry, Meghan is continuing to subtly challenge the status quo (and by subtle, we mean that she closes the car door herself).

Here are the rules Meghan has quietly broken since becoming the Duchess of Sussex.