People: Duchess Meghan is ‘frustrated’ with all of the dumb ‘protocol’ rules

Taylor Swift teams a catsuit with platform boots as she heads to her concert in Cleveland

So, I know I’m really, really late to the party, but I finally started watching The Crown. I’m enjoying it, even though as an Anglophile royalist, I know a lot of the history being covered. As I’m watching, I’m like “hahaha, sh-t it going to get real when Diana comes on the scene!” Because so far (in Season 1), it’s all about the Queen’s duty and how public opinion means next to nothing and everything is being done a certain way because that’s how everything has always been done. It’s a stifling way to live and exist, and as an American, of course you’re asking yourself, “no really, she’s the Queen, she should be able to make *some* of these decisions herself, right? When can I call ‘bullsh-t’ and make my own decisions?”

So modern American girl Meghan Markle finds herself in the same predicament now that she’s a duchess. I told her – as did many other people – that she wasn’t just marrying a charming ginger prince, she was marrying into an establishment which uses “protocol” like a switchblade. Meghan finds herself asking “but why do things have to only be done this one way?” And the answer is always: because that’s the way they’ve always been done. That’s People Magazine’s cover story.

Meghan Markle has expertly navigated her new duchess role since joining the royal family two months ago. But between outings with the Queen and royal christenings, she’s learning the ups and downs of life as the Duchess of Sussex.

Although she has quickly adapted to many of the minutiae of royal dos and don’ts, she “has found certain rules in the royal household difficult to understand, like the fact that the Queen prefers women in dresses or skirts rather than trouser suits, and is often asking Harry why things have to be done in a certain way,” a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.

“I think she finds it a little frustrating at times, but this is her new life, and she has to deal with it,” the source adds.

Stepping into an entirely new world has also brought a new set of challenges. The outspoken former actress, who includes a reference to being a “feminist” on her page on the official British monarchy website, landed in the headlines after a July 10 garden party at the British ambassador’s residence in Dublin, when Senator Catherine Noone tweeted that Meghan had said she was “pleased to see the result” of Ireland’s recent referendum to legalize abortion. (Royal family members typically steer clear of political discussions, and Noone subsequently deleted the tweet.)

“That’s an example of her naïveté,” says Crown historical consultant and royal biographer Robert Lacey. “Within the royal family they talk freely, and everyone knows the rules. She’s learning the hard way that you can’t trust anyone outside the narrow circle.”

Of course, she has her new husband by her side to help show her the royal ropes — along with the Queen’s former assistant private secretary, Samantha Cohen, who has been helping her with protocol.

“You can see Prince Harry’s hands-on approach, steering her, helping her,” photographer Mark Stewart tells PEOPLE.

[From People]

When we get to The Crown Season 7, I imagine we’ll be saying “oof, just wait until Meghan comes along and shakes everything up.” Because these people desperately need to be shaken. The Queen “preferring” something is not the same as “royal protocol.” Many have said that, over the years, the Queen cares less about these bullsh-t protocol “rules” than the people who work around her, the people who are the real snobs. The Queen likes Meghan, Charles likes Meghan and Harry loves and adores Meghan. That should be enough, but it’s not enough for the people around the family, the people who are going to nitpick her and treat her every show of individuality or personality like she’s some dumb, gauche peasant.

The Duchess of Sussex undertakes her first official engagement with Queen Elizabeth II

Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid, cover courtesy of People.

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99 Responses to “People: Duchess Meghan is ‘frustrated’ with all of the dumb ‘protocol’ rules”

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  1. Jan90067 says:

    There comes a time when every tree or bush needs to be shaken to get rid of dry, rotting leaves and limbs. YOU GO GIRL lol.

  2. The Original G says:

    No she’s not. If she’s tired of all the racists hiding behind their mistaken idea of protocol I give her a high five.

  3. Digital Unicorn says:

    I wonder if its the same source who said that they were ‘frustrated’ with Daddy Dearest and his blabbing to the press.

    • Lady D says:

      Rumour has it source is daughter Sam who started that to enable daddy to give another paid interview responding.

      • magnoliarose says:

        Oh my. Really? That is some deep low down on their part. Wow.

      • Nic919 says:

        I would believe it. Tom and Sam have been hateful lately. Their fifteen minutes is starting to run out.

    • Nic919 says:

      I am surprised that People would print this type of article. Normally they are very gushing for all royals. It’s extremely unlikely that a Royal courtier would go to a US magazine and spout this stuff.

      In any case Charles, Camilla and the Queen have been publicly seen chatting quite happily with Meghan so if they have problems we wouldn’t know it. And I cannot stand that the use of the word feminist on the royal family website being used as a negative. It is very sexist. Besides that, it’s not like these blurbs get posted at 3 am without any review. It was approved so clearly the Queen and Charles are fine with it.

  4. Bettyrose says:

    I once had a coworker insist on a stupid process because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” I laughed so hard and challenged her to name one thing that hasn’t changed in the last decade. But the RF I suppose.

    • TeamAwesome says:

      My coworker and I have a running joke about writing a musical about our job (we’re music instructors) and the big dance break is called That’s How We’ve Always Done It.

      • Diplomanatee says:

        Lol, I’d watch that musical.

        With the RF what really stands out as odd to me is how they use the word “expect” to manipulate someone. They even do it on press releases to sway RF members one way or another, i.e. “they are expected to attend”, “she is expected to wear something modest”, which went around a lot before the wedding. A courtier/grey man could easily say “the public expects this behavior” or “the queen expects this dress code” and that’s how things get done… using such a light, ambiguous concept to basically control people.

      • Mellie says:

        That’s awesome, I work in an organization where some people get away with doing nothing and can barely turn on a computer and then there’s the rest of us who are trying to modernize things and love the IT world. If I had a dime for every time, “That’s how we’ve always done it” has been uttered in this office, I could have purchased computer training for all!

    • Iknow says:

      Yes! I work at an institution that is very, very, old. Long history and very steeped in tradition. It is an organization that resists change and hold on to old ways in every sense of the word. I work in the support staff end of the institution and it is the higher ups in administrative that’s the most intractable. With every suggestion, I get, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” It’s crazy how afraid people are of change. As if with change, everything dies. The inability to change at work or in this protocol nonsense, is just that they are afraid that with change, they’ll become inessential.

  5. Amelie says:

    Well not to be… morbid, but once the Queen is no longer with us, I do think a lot of archaic rules (like not wearing trousers in the monarch’s presence or having to wear pantyhose) will be relaxed. I really do not think Charles is much of a traditionalist in that regard. The Queen is from an old school generation where a lot of rules no longer apply anymore. They just keep doing them to make her happy. I can see them refraining from being political but I dunno, I could see members of the BRF being a bit more vocal about their political opinions once the Queen passes (and it seems like they have lately with Trump’s recent visit).

    I read the Queen blatantly wore the brooch Obama gifted her in Trump’s presence. He may not have realized it at the time but the savvy media picked up on it and we all know she intended it as a slight. If that’s not political, I don’t know what is!

    • Bettyrose says:

      Did he even know where he was at the time?

    • KidV says:

      “I read the Queen blatantly wore the brooch Obama gifted her in Trump’s presence. ”

      She wore it on the day the Trumps landed in Europe, not the day she met with them. She wore a funeral brooch the day she met with the Trumps.

  6. A says:

    I have protocols to adhere to in my work too. From how I wear my hair, to the length of my nails and the clothes I wear. And I’d bet I spend more hours a week at my job than she does at her royal events. Some jobs just require a lot.

    • Reese says:

      This has always baffled me. I am the same way. Most people have to dress to a certain way in a professional setting. I couldn’t show up to work in shorts with bright neon nails without being sent to HR. I need to dress professional 5 days a week.
      So MM has to wear to dress or a long skirt and some pantyhose now and then. What’s the big deal? It’s her job now. She’s worn trousers more than once. It’s not like she can’t or hasn’t.

      • crogirl says:

        THIS!!
        I was so happy when I found my first job after university until I read the dress code. Before that I was basically leaving in jeans, t-shirts, flats. I owned one blazer, didn’t have any formal trousers or business suits. Had to borrow money from my parents to buy some basics. I like Meghan, but she “works” few hours a week, gets her wardrobe on public expense and has advisors who are willing to teach her. I honestly hope she’s not complaining and this is just a made up source.

      • Masamf says:

        Even though People clearly have the source stating “I THINK Meghan finds it frustrating…..” I’m just surprised at how people are reading this article and deducing from it that Meghan IS indeed frustrated. This is what the source THINKS, it could be the source projecting their feelings on Meghan, but I digress.
        Anyways, I personally don’t even get what the BD is since Meghan has been adhering to protocol all her life. She adhered to school protocol (wear a uniform, have hair tied in a pony tail or something, be in class at such and such times, don’t break any school rules etc) and at work on Suits (be dressed a “certain way” that was approved by TPTB ie. pencil skirts only, all knee length, always wear hair down and lose, etc). She adhered to all these rules with no difficulty or complaints or even frustration while she was on duty; and off duty she could do whatever she pleased. It is the same thing she is doing now, adhere to rules while at work, and wear her ripped jeans (if she prefers) when she’s out doing her thing on her won time. What is there to be frustrated about? She isn’t doing anything she wasn’t doing before she joined the Firm, non?

    • PBAN says:

      thank you. It’s not as if they have to adhere to these things in their private time. It’s just protocol. Some of the things may seem dated; but this is what happens in all Royal families. Megan M is not going to change centuries of behavior. Besides her husband was raised on them; and he is not going to throw that out the window. I for one wish people would have more of a standard of behavior. We see how in the United States the standards of behavior are being thrown out the window. People just do whatever they want. And look at how that is working for us. fine to fine tune some things; but there is a reason we follow Royalty. I was thinking about Downton Abbey and all the fun of watching that show.

  7. Red says:

    Welcome to England Meghan. ‘That’s the way it’s always been done’ is the response used by the English almost anyone proposes a change. I think the English should embroider the phrase on their flag.

  8. MrsBump says:

    i dont think royals should be political. Its a slippery and dangerous slope.
    we are pro this now because we assume that their opinion will match our own but what if they didnt ? what if we learnt, with horror that they share the same nationalistic views as some of their citizens. Their opinion will unfairly add weight to the balance and frankly none of us know in which direction it will tilt.
    It is easy to hate trump, we all do, but what if their views regarding internal matters were in opposition to that of the government ? what would be the official view of Britain then ?
    There is a reason why Royals are apolitical and why they should remain so if they wish to co-exist along side a democratically elected parliament.

    • says:

      I don’t know why people here want them to be political. Literally cannot wrap my head around it. The royals are not elected officials and as such should have no right to involve themselves in their work. The UK’s politics are chaotic enough as is.

    • Nic919 says:

      Being a feminist isn’t political. And Meghan has said nothing political to date since the marriage. Charles has interfered far more with UK government with his black spider memos and that’s far more significant than Meghan possibly making a comment about an abortion referendum that was successful in ireland. That was never even confirmed anyway but even if it was, a woman having control over her own body falls smack within being a feminist which again isn’t political but about human rights.

      If Megan starts openly supporting the Labour Party or the LibDems then that is being political. She hasn’t done that.

      • Mrs bump says:

        My point wasn’t about Meghan in particular but the general principle.
        @nic Some of your knee jerks comments are truly crazy : not everything is about Meghan! I didn’t even mention her in my original comment.
        Also sadly for the northern irish, abortion is a linked to the political landscape as the Tories formed an alliance with a catholic party in NI who are anti abortion. Hence why the government is very quiet on this issue.
        I don’t think what Meghan said was a big deal, she probably didn’t know.

    • formerly known as Amy says:

      If you’re trying to say that women’s rights is a political issue, you can go hung.

      • passerby says:

        x10!

        @FKAA

      • Mrs bump says:

        Huh? Entire swatches of the American population voted for trump over abortion rights. To say it is not a political issue is to bury your head in the sand.
        I’m completely pro abortion and this is coming from a muslim african woman where holding these views are not mainstream nor even at time socially acceptable.
        It should not be political but it is.

      • Lizabeth says:

        People voted the way they did in the last US presidential election for alot of reasons @MrsBump. Most presidential elections are not single-issue elections and that one surely was not. But I do agree abortion is a political issue. Whether it should be political is a different question. However, it’s not clear exactly what Meghan said about the Irish referendum anyway. The woman leading the referendum drive said Meghan was supportive of the outcome. The woman later walked that back. So we just do not know what was said.

      • says:

        Mrs bump’s comment was very general and did not mention any specific political issues. There’s absolutely no need to be that rude.

  9. adastraperaspera says:

    She is an actress, and this is a role she will carry off well. Any missteps are small, and just being reported to sell papers.

  10. perplexed says:

    Well, they’re not really supposed to be like the rest of us. They’re supposed to seem rarefied. Otherwise, people would wonder why they get special privileges just for being born under the right circumstances. People will want to get rid of them if they’re too similar to regular people (which they are, but we’re not really supposed to “see” this.)

    Who is leaking to People magazine and why?

    • People magazine has been known as publicist friendly in the past but I don’t think it’s the same anymore. Their biggest stories these days are about the Duggars, and Kardashians. This story serves no purpose other than to drive clicks. Like any other online entity they’re trying to make money off of the newest shiny thing. I don’t think anyone needs to leak to any rag these days, they make up stories out of whole cloth all the time, and always have.

      Personally, I don’t think the BRF will last long after the Queen passes away.

  11. Clare says:

    The thing is – youdont get to pick and choose which historical practices/rules/protocol whatever you want to keep and which you want to ditch. With the people curtsying to you and your title come other rules, like longer hemlines. With your tax payer funded security comes the expectation that you remain non-partisan. With your castles and palaces and 30 bedroom ‘apartments’ come the expectation and you have to meet with people you don’t particularly like. With the millions from ‘your’ duchy that buy you millions worth in clothes and lovely holidays comes the lack of privacy.

    This is a lesson that the younger royals seem to have missed. Don’t want to follow the ‘rules’? Cool. Abdicate. Stop taking money from the public purse. I find taxes stifling – I still have to pay them, you know?

    There’s only so far they can go in terms of shaking things up – the rules are the only thing that separate the normals from the royals, and keep these leeches in ‘power’.

    (Not aimed at meghan by the way, she’s new and I like her)

    *particularly pissed off today and fing Andrew is the Royal Patron of the faculty where I work and I’ve just been in an hour long discussion about the rules for attending an event – apparently I’m being difficult for refusing to play into the curtesy nonsense for a corrupt arsehole 🙄

    • magnoliarose says:

      Yuck Andrew. I can’t stand him. He has gotten cover but he is an irresponsible pedo perv and should be kept out of the public eye and be a patron of nothing.
      Poor you. Can you sneak in a flask and take fortifying sips of vodka before facing his smug fat head?
      I feel pissed off for you.

  12. enike says:

    I think Meghan is doing fine
    putting all this projections on her shoulders of people who say “what they would do” and “how they would shake things up” is not helping, imho

    these people are not there every day
    the Queen seems to like her, Harry loves her, so what else is there to be solved?

    Meghan is doing fine
    what is the matter? nothing, nothing at all

    just harmless gossip, dont take it so seriously and (imho) dont present Meghan who will finally put the brake on the royal protocol…. let her be 🙂

  13. Jasmine18 says:

    The Queen won’t be around forever and I suspect the younger royals will get rid of the stuffier courtiers.

    But how much do William and Harry want protocols to change? I mean really change. They surround themselves with a small group of trusted friends from very similar wealthy backgrounds.

    Nothing about their lives is ‘normal’ or down-to-earth. Who really thought MM would find this adjustment easy?

  14. Pansy says:

    She’ll be fine because this is part of her job and she seems like a professional.
    That said, one reason I love America (Ok, the American spirit, not today’s political climate) is the whole “but WHY do we have to do it this way” mentality. I’m hoping MM sprinkles that in the RF!
    Although like a precious poster said, I think Charles will relax some of this. But watching the royal family’s expressions during the wedding….they’re not going all relaxed surfer American mode anytime soon.

    • Ange says:

      Americans are no different though. You can’t just walk up to the president in an official capacity and be like ‘yo Donny what up?!’ Not to mention all the stifling silly etiquette rules and mannered behaviour that seems to be revered in the south. Laughing at the Brits for it just because royalty is involved seems pretty short sighted.

  15. Tania says:

    As an Indigenous person, this is something that has come up as well. I remember a discussion I had with a friend who put it in another light. She was worried about following customs and traditions and one of the traditional leaders said to her, “You are the legend/example our people will be talking about and following in a few generations so do what you think is best and don’t worry how they did it 100 years ago. We survived by adapting.” That was great insight and a great way to lead.

  16. Sue says:

    If the Queen, Charles, etc. like her so much, then explain why they didn’t look at her while she exchanged her vows with Harry?

    • MrsBump says:

      because they are pros at this, and knew that every single twitch , glance would be over-analysed to death.

      • Sue says:

        Their looking away was their reaction. Note this happened after her father’s drama. They were very disappointed, but like Diana’s sister said, “.. your names are on the tea towels.”

      • Sue says:

        Overanalyze happiness? Happiness at a wedding. Who knew?

    • Mego says:

      I dunno Sue but it’s something that will always kind of bug me. The lot of them staring at their program the whole time. I suspect it has to do with a discomfort with intimacy and emotions more than concern about appearing on camera. I guess at the end of the day it doesn’t matter because Harry and Meghan were saying the vows to each other and not the family.

      • KD says:

        If you look back at the footage of Will and Kate’s wedding, they were all looking up towards the couple when they were exchanging their vows. I agree that this time around it seemed a bit off.

      • Sue says:

        It doesn’t make sense to hide emotions of happiness at a wedding. They were displaying indifference. When you don’t like someone you don’t look at them.

      • Nic919 says:

        Charles and Camilla were looking at them during the vows. Charles was more noticeable about it.

      • Lizabeth says:

        I think there were a few reasons TQ may have looked “off” during the ceremony (if in fact she actually did.) She knew Philip had recently cracked his ribs. We only knew he was recovering from a hip replacement. Both are kind of a big deal and cracked ribs hurt! Alot. The second— the sermon she knew was coming. After the wedding it was widely reported she was asked to approve the text in advance. I think she approved it because she felt she had to for all kinds of reasons. And she loves Harry and I think she does approve of his marriage to Meghan. But she seems quite traditional in her CoE views and as the head of the church and defender of the faith, why wouldn’t she be? Frankly, her preference probably was for a more “by-the-book” ceremony. But that doesn’t mean she disapproves of Meghan. And really, it’s not as though Harry has been a big church-goer through the yrs. By that I simply mean that I doubt TQ thinks Harry would have rigorously adhered to tradition if not for Meghan. Had he married someone else, the ceremony would have been different but likely not the kind of ceremony Will and Kate had since Will was the heir.

      • formerly known as Amy says:

        I thought charles looked like he was going to cry and that’s why he was looking down.

    • magnoliarose says:

      Have you ever seen what they do at public gatherings? I have seen them fall asleep nearly, laugh, look dazed, look bored to tears, impatient or like they were thinking of nothing at all. All of them do this. It is also a defense mechanism so that nothing can be seen or emotions read. If the didn’t like her she wouldn’t be married to Harry and they wouldn’t be scheduling so many public outings.
      Sources have reported it and you can see it when they around her.

      • Sue says:

        So, Kate throwing her head back and laughing with Will is keeping her emotions in check? No, they were not happy that day, and chose to show it by indifference. Their subsequent show of affection towards Meghan is barely existent. They are pretty much ignoring her, including Harry. Kate has no interest in being Meghan’s bff.

      • Nic919 says:

        Charles and Camilla were talking plenty to Harry and Meghan at the Trooping and the RAF commemoration and at Ascot the Queen was chatting with them too. I am not sure where this ignoring harry and Meghan thing can even be established in reality.

    • Sue says:

      KD You called it. Something is “off”. Time will tell, but the Honeymoon is over. Harry is a Royal, and his loyalty is to the Crown first, and foremost. Meghan is second.

      • Leyton says:

        This man literally said in his interview that his marriage would always come first. But you keep on!

      • AdamK says:

        I like Harry and Meg, but his marriage will not “always come first.” I think many Americans who are understandably enamoured with Ms. Markle and the fairy tale romance as underestimating the power of a centuries old monarchy. Even if you think she has the power to usurp it, regardless of how affably “regular guy” he may seem, Harry has been raised in royalty and affluence. He will not chuck that if it comes down to it. Even Edward VIII wouldn’t have done so were he not forced out.

      • Sue says:

        @Leyton Well everyone says their marriage comes first until trouble comes first.

      • KD says:

        lol I wouldn’t say Harry is ignoring her! He is clearly head over heels in love with Meghan. Harry is besotted, that’s not going to change. But I do question certain events with the wider family. The BP Garden Party was one instance where they were all over giggly/smiley. Look back at Kate’s BP garden party events…. it’s hilarious to see they have the exact same laughing expressions/interactions going on with Kate! These people know which faces to put on for the world/the cameras. No, I don’t believe they “hate” Meghan, but I ain’t buying their show either. The BRF aren’t all woke, warm, non-classist, inclusive, and welcoming just because Meghan has become apart of their family. JMO

      • formerly known as Amy says:

        What is this imagined situation where Harry has to choose between “the crown” and his marriage. If monarchy was a soccer team, they have just recruited a top rate player here who is now very valuable to them. Plus Harry is 12th in line to the throne as we are constantly reminded here.

  17. Ty says:

    Royalty is an archaic establishment

    People spend other people’s money for doing handshakes and smiles

    Queen is suddenly adored here but she is just an old racist, who rubbed shoulders with racists, had no problem with apartheid and still proudly shows off the jewellery forcefully taken from the colonies ( like the Kohinoor for example).

    As for shaking things up, shortly after Meghan’s engagement, charles insulted a british Indian in the most obnoxious way. But the royal family is now magical and everyone is woke because Meghan is here. And the topic was covered for 1s here, because racism is only considered when favorites are harassed.
    Harry is just as lazy and ignorant as his brother but He gets a pass because he is charming.
    Lastly Meghan. She spends money like her sister in law. Already has multiple pairs of overpriced nude pumps, same dress in multiple colors and in general is behaving just like the rest of them.

    So yeah. You made your bed

  18. themummy says:

    I’m giving side-eye to this “source” who says she’s frustrated by protocols. I bet there is no real source and that’s just made up for the story. She seems to have settled in fine AND she went in with eyes wide open. She knew exactly what she was walking into before she did it. I am betting there have been very few protocol surprises, actually. I call semi-BS on this story. I’m surprised it’s in People, but I still call BS on whoever this supposed source is. Anything for a story!

    • Mego says:

      Yes this is merely speculation, no source or real story here.

    • IlsaLund says:

      Agree with you. I side eye any unnamed source. These tabs just make stuff up to sell magazines and get clicks on their websites. Meghan is like a shiny new toy to the media these days.

    • Fluffy Princess says:

      This! “She seems to have settled in fine AND she went in with eyes wide open.” I so agree!!

      She’s a 36 year old woman who’s worked hard to get ahead. You think that PH didn’t tell her extensively the kinds of things she would have to give up/do and expectations? He wanted to make sure that whomever he married knew what the deal was. Isn’t that why Chelsy and the other one didn’t stick around? They didn’t want that kind of life. She knew and signed up for it. This is just another “hit” piece. I’m surprised at People mag.

      Also, I’m tired of the narrative of “the only way to sell mag/get clicks is to have something negative” — rivalry! anger! secrets! frustration! feuds! UGH! Enough. There’s so much negativity now in every.single.thing. I wish for a sappy story every once in awhile! Sheesh.

    • Lizabeth says:

      Totally agree. Not believing there is a ‘”source.” And if told TQ wants women to wear dresses, only a very young child or someone totally clueless would ask “why?” And Meghan is neither.

    • magnoliarose says:

      People magazine has lost access and become a regular tabloid now. They used to at least have direct quotes from real sources even if it was only spin. Now it seems like they are just as bad as US and Lifestyle.

    • Ms. Turtle says:

      I disagree. If this was US Weekly, I would agree with you. People Weekly is a different story. I think this is a source placed within KP.

  19. Jane says:

    The idea that its such a hardship to have neutral nails wear tights and sit a certain way is ridiculous their engagements last an hour or two a time and the younger ones only do a couple of hundred a year for most people who work that wouldn’t even cover rent but they live in the lap of luxury access to property most of us could only dream of being chauffeur driving around receive the best education and health care but apparently they are just live us and we are supposed to feel sorry them

  20. eto says:

    Do people think this is a real story? Like, they probably had articles like this pre-written and release them when there’s nothing more interesting.

  21. Nickname says:

    “I imagine we’ll be saying ’oof, just wait until Meghan comes along and shakes everything up.’” LOL yeah ok

  22. ladida says:

    I dunno guys…People tends to be legit. We think of Meghan as being in the family for 60 days, when in fact it’s been more like two years. She’s been aware of protocol since they started dating. To me, these quotes spell trouble.

    • magnoliarose says:

      People is no longer legit and it doesn’t spell trouble. She’s not going to leave Harry in a huff over pantyhose.

    • A says:

      I don’t think this is any different than what the existing, born-in royals complain about day in and day out. I’m pretty sure William and Harry have been complaining roundly about the institution and its peculiarities for a while now. I think Meghan is smart enough, and at an age where she has figured out how to pick her battles rather than fight everything, all of the time.

    • Sue says:

      Correct.

    • Sue says:

      Exactly.

  23. Pamm says:

    People stories have always been considered legit.

    • Tigerlily says:

      Really? I’ve always heard People referred to as “kneepads”

      • ladida says:

        Kneepads, yes. But their sources are vetted.

      • Peg says:

        Especially when a celebrity gets into trouble, there is People publishing the sanitize version provided by a publicist.
        That’s why they’re known as ‘kneepads.’

  24. minx says:

    Honestly, I think she’ll be fine, she knew the tradeoff. Eyes on the prize and all that. She gets Harry, wealth and a place in history.

  25. Murphy says:

    This is all just made up as an excuse for a cover, she’s doing fine.

  26. KD says:

    You mean the courtiers aka “grey men” who work to keep the institution intact? They aren’t just “those people”. Meh, she knew what she was marrying into, so you can’t really say much. She married into the very epitome of the British class system, they have different rules which one must adhere to. It is what it is.
    All I know is Meghan isn’t going to be shaking anything up in the “Firm”.
    She is not breaking centuries worth of Royal rules lol

    • Sue says:

      She played the game she got the man and of course she wants to push her ideas on what she believes to be the new norm. Harry knew that she was an independent woman this is not news to him. However, when it comes to loyalty to Meghan who is imposing her ideas on the Royal Family, yes Harry will be giving into the royal family before he will be giving in to Meghan. Everything was fine as long as Meghan was not interfering with protocol as a part of the Royal Family. She will not change what they consider as protocol, you see what happened to Diana when she did try. There are influences behind the crown if you will, that drive the Royal Family. My gut feeling is that Harry is frustrated that Meghan is not exactly adhering to dress code and keeping her opinions to herself. Down the road, mark my words, there will be more coming out about this. Meghan has been called or nicknamed “me again” and she does persist towards what she wants.

  27. A says:

    This seems fairly run of the mill. It’s no Diana type shenanigans, at least. It’s not the virgin bride requirement by any stretch. I actually think Meghan is light years better than Charles calling Chinese officials “waxworks” or the Queen saying that they were “very rude” when they arrived for their state visit. But honestly, I am a big old Meghan stan and I really want her to do well and be happy, so I feel like I’m going to have a level of bias in whatever I have to say anyways, haha.

  28. Dazeem, Adele says:

    While I don’t trust People, this article surprises me. Usually they are so fawning in their Royal Family coverage. Regardless of your feelings about Meghan, you gotta admit—she’s getting sh%t thrown at her from a variety of angles. Sheesh.

  29. JRenee says:

    Another non story to sell papers. Until it stops selling, I guess these unnamed sources will continue..
    It seems like she’s off to an early start with engagements. Let’s see what happens with the end of year numbers.

  30. HadleyB says:

    Meg will not be shaking anything. If the Queen herself could only do so much change and she is the QUEEN why does everyone think Meg will be the sole person to do this big shake up?

    The Queen doesn’t rule … its the men in grey suits behind the scenes that have all these rules and yes, the Queen has some herself but no, Meg will not be shaking anything.

  31. Jessica says:

    This sounds completely made up.

    • Peg says:

      The dailymail online, just lost for invading Harry privacy in Jamaica, swimsuit photo, don’t know if it will be a monetary settlement, but they’ve to post on their site that they invaded his privacy.
      I mean the gloves are off, what else can they say about Meghan.

  32. Pamm says:

    The gloves are off. Meghan is fighting back. “Meghan’s friends” tell DM that her father faked the heart operation.