Becoming a royal isn’t all about princess gowns and fancy events. It brings along a lot of drastic changes to one’s life. Suddenly you are always in the spotlight, people are prying into your personal life, and you have a set of strict rules regarding how you should dress, behave, talk, wave, courtesy, etc. The pressure is immense, and the effect that can have on a person’s mental health is huge. We’ve all heard about it in Meghan and Harry’s interview. But let’s talk about a few life changes that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle encountered when they became royals.
1. Kate used to wear cowboy hats, just for fun we assume. But as a royal, you’re not allowed such frivolities, so now we either see her without a hat or in a fascinator.
2. Meghan used to do all sorts of weird jobs before the success of Suits. After becoming a royal she was scrutinized for closing the door of the car instead of waiting for one of the members of her staff to close it. The weird thing is, it’s not even in the royal protocol that she can’t close her own car door, it’s just seen as not something royals do because they heve butlers and drivers and other servants to do this.
3. Kate graduated from St Andrew’s University with a degree in History of Arts, and now that she’s a royal she is literally part of that history because her portrait is in the National Portrait Gallery. That must be very strange for her.
4. Kate used to carry her own luggage like most of us mortals, but once you’re a royal you can’t be seen lugging heavy things, you have assistants for that.
5. Kate used to drive everywhere by herself, including her own birthday party, but now that she’s a royal she’s always driven and sits in the backseat. Makes you wonder if she misses driving, doesn’t it?
6. Meghan used to love going out for cocktails and enjoying her share of pink drinks at parties. But as a royal, it’s all about meaningful toasts at serious events. You don’t see her having fun pink drinks with little umbrellas anymore, it’s all elegant champagne flutes and boring wine glasses.
7. Remember the times when Kate used to be wild and loved to party and go to clubs and wear loud outfits? Now she has to tone it down quite a bit. A floor-length gown in green sequins is the loudest we’ve seen her dress.
8. Meghan clearly enjoyed hugging fans and her friends and colleagues before she became a royal. But once you’re part of the royal family the protocol prohibits hugging a royal.
9.There’s even a way you’re supposed to sit when you’re a royal. You can’t just cross your legs. Meghan is supposed to sit in a duchess slant, which means crossing her ankles and leaning her legs to the side, knees firmly together.
10. As an actress, Meghan was pretty used to giving out autographs, but as a royal, she wasn’t allowed to sign anything for the public, because her signature could be forged and in general it’s against security protocols. But she found a way to bend that rule and she signed a kid’s autograph book with a smiley face and a heart.
11. Meghan used to be an actress best known for her role on Suits. Once she married Prince Harry, being a royal (the Dutchess of Sussex) became her job. And you better believe that is a full-time job.
12. There are even rules for nail polish when you’re a royal. You can no longer match your nails to your outfit, no bright or dark shades. As a royal, you’re only supposed to have natural-looking nails and nude shades.
