Photo: Rex / Shutterstock via DailyMail.co.uk
In today’s ground-breaking news, a human got out of a chauffeured ride and closed the door all on their own, and it was enough to send social media into a frenzy.
Then again, the human is no regular Joe or Jane: we’re talking about Megan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, the former “Suits” actress who became the latest member of the British Royal family after marrying Prince Harry.
Last night, the Duchess stepped out for her first solo public function, which was held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. As per protocol, she arrived in a chauffeured ride, but she chose to break protocol when she stepped out of the car and closed her own door. That is to say, she did not wait for a member of her staff to do that for her.
This might not seem like much for us regular folks who open and close doors all on our own (yay for us!), but this is unheard of with members of the British Royal family. Meghan has been breaking protocol since she married Prince Harry and every time she does it, it sends social media into a spin. This time is no different.
People Magazine believes it’s all down to Meghan being a feminist – and the second video at the bottom of the page confirms she’s done it before. That is to say, the Duchess is sending subtle messages to let the world know that she can handle doing her own stuff. Again, we’re talking about a simple gesture of shutting a car door, but you don’t mess with Royal protocol.
Then, etiquette expert William Hanson believes this is the Duchess’ way of showing the world she aims to breathe new life into the stuffiness that surrounds the Royal family.
“The Duchess of Sussex closing her own car door is yet another silent signal that she is going to be doing things her own way and helping adapt and progress the British monarchy,” Hanson tells the Daily Mail.
“Whether she thought long and hard about it before it happened, I doubt it, I suspect it was force of habit, but it is interesting to see that many have noticed as usually dignitaries have a member of staff to do this for them. That comes from a security point of view, mainly, not just for perpetuating airs and graces,” he adds.
Whether the gesture was planned or not, it worked wonders on people observing it on social media. Closing her own door humanized the Duchess, made her more relatable and more lovable. After all, we do love getting confirmation thatcelebrities Royals are just like us.
Last night, the Duchess stepped out for her first solo public function, which was held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. As per protocol, she arrived in a chauffeured ride, but she chose to break protocol when she stepped out of the car and closed her own door. That is to say, she did not wait for a member of her staff to do that for her.
This might not seem like much for us regular folks who open and close doors all on our own (yay for us!), but this is unheard of with members of the British Royal family. Meghan has been breaking protocol since she married Prince Harry and every time she does it, it sends social media into a spin. This time is no different.
People Magazine believes it’s all down to Meghan being a feminist – and the second video at the bottom of the page confirms she’s done it before. That is to say, the Duchess is sending subtle messages to let the world know that she can handle doing her own stuff. Again, we’re talking about a simple gesture of shutting a car door, but you don’t mess with Royal protocol.
Then, etiquette expert William Hanson believes this is the Duchess’ way of showing the world she aims to breathe new life into the stuffiness that surrounds the Royal family.
“The Duchess of Sussex closing her own car door is yet another silent signal that she is going to be doing things her own way and helping adapt and progress the British monarchy,” Hanson tells the Daily Mail.
“Whether she thought long and hard about it before it happened, I doubt it, I suspect it was force of habit, but it is interesting to see that many have noticed as usually dignitaries have a member of staff to do this for them. That comes from a security point of view, mainly, not just for perpetuating airs and graces,” he adds.
Whether the gesture was planned or not, it worked wonders on people observing it on social media. Closing her own door humanized the Duchess, made her more relatable and more lovable. After all, we do love getting confirmation that
Watch: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has arrived @royalacademy for her first solo royal outing — the opening of the Oceania exhibition #royal #meghanmarkle pic.twitter.com/HWSVbuy7RJ
— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) September 25, 2018
Watch: Meghan arriving at her lunch to launch the ‘Together’ cookbook — with mother Doria Ragland and Prince Harry ¥ @Hannah_Furness pic.twitter.com/tdqk7sta8i
— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) September 20, 2018
Google News