Did Duchess Meghan break protocol when she entered the Queen’s car first?

Queen Meghan Chester

I think all of those old-guard royalists and royal-watchers were a bit shocked at Thursday’s events with Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle aka The Duchess of Sussex. They were flummoxed by the fact that the Queen was doing an event with only Meghan so soon after she was married. They were flummoxed by the fact that Meghan didn’t screw up in any major way. They were flummoxed by the fact that… it actually seemed like the Queen is quite visibly fond of her new granddaughter-in-law. Of course there were still complaints, like how Meghan shouldn’t have worn her hair down, which… I mean, the Duchess of Cambridge was still getting a “pass” by most people about her flyaway sausage curls six years into her marriage. I have faith that Meghan’s learning curve will come a bit faster.

People also tried to make this moment into a thing – Meghan didn’t know the protocol for who goes into the car first, so she did what she was supposed to do, which is ask the Queen:

It looks to me like Meghan was prepared to walk around and go into the car from the other side but the Queen stopped her and told her to get her ass in the car (I’m paraphrasing, obvs). LaineyGossip pointed out that a royal protocol expert says that there really isn’t some particular protocol for who gets into a car first though, it’s just that the Queen prefers to sit behind the driver.

Meanwhile, Meghan did chat with people on her royal outings with the Queen. She was asked about life as a newlywed and she gushed.

Prince Harry is the “best husband ever,” Meghan proclaimed with a smile on Thursday. The ecstatic newlywed royal, 36, told well-wishers she was “really enjoying” married life as she met locals in Chester alongside Queen Elizabeth for a series of events. Sharon Briscoe, 61, who had traveled about 25 miles east from Chirk, Wales, for the chance to meet Meghan asked her how she was enjoying her new life.

“It is wonderful,” Meghan told her. “I’m really enjoying it.” Briscoe adds, “I said to give our love to Harry and to look after him.”

Meghan then replied: “I will do. That means an awful lot to us. He’s the best husband ever.” She added that the new Duchess of Sussex “looked radiant” and Meghan said, “That’s so kind.”

“She seems so genuine and really warm and not rushing with people,” Briscoe said.

[From People]

Harry is the best husband ever? We’ll see! No, I think Harry adores her and he’s been “stepping up his game” ever since they met. I don’t want to say that Harry is a changed man, but he’s clearly matured a great deal over the past few years especially.

Royal Visit Chester

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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182 Responses to “Did Duchess Meghan break protocol when she entered the Queen’s car first?”

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  1. Becks1 says:

    Meghan getting in the car first also made sense because then the Queen got out first, which was a more important optic in my mind.

    Who cares whether there is a protocol about it – she asked the Queen, the queen told her to get in the car, and she did.

    If the fact that she had to ask is the worst thing people can say about the appearances yesterday…..then Meghan is off to a good start.

    • Eliza says:

      My opinion, they shouldn’t be getting in the same door. Scootching over is not exactly easy for a 90 year old. The staff should have had MM walk around to the other side and get in that door so the Queen could get her normal seat behind driver. But if only one door for security, or whatever, of course MM goes first, QEII doesn’t slide across the backseat. Lol.

      • Liberty says:

        Lol, that was my thought too. My great aunt is fit for her age (92) but no way is she sliding her nicely dressed self across a back seat.

        Anyway Meghan did great, wisely asked the Q what to, and acquitted herself well while making the Q seem happy and larky. Job well done, I would say.

      • Ari says:

        Except she did the second time they got in the car which confused Meghan. So the 1st time she went in first and the second time HM went in first. Poor Meghan. She was a bit overwhelmed.

    • dota says:

      Protocols are there to ensure things run smoothly so people do not have to constantly stop and ask what to do next or who goes where. These events would be a total cluster@#*$ without protocols in place.

    • Rdmum says:

      British cars are right hand drive so the Queen would have had to walk to the other side to get in behind the driver. Meghan probably had to scoot over because I doubt the Queen would walk to the other side. Also – I doubt the Queen likes sitting behind the driver because as mentioned as the driver is on the right side she would have to constantly get out of the car and walk over which doesn’t make sense.

  2. Jessica says:

    Wtf no. She told her to get in.

    • FHMom says:

      Exactly. What’s the fuss about?

    • Adee says:

      It would be a scandal if she DIDN’T get in after the Queen specifically advised her too. Lol.

      • hippiechk says:

        +1 This. Can you imagine the screaming if she actually refused the Queen’s request for her to go first? Clutch the Royal pearls!

      • minx says:

        Really. What is she to say to TQ, “Nah, you go first?”

    • PrincessK says:

      Undoubtedly this little vignette has been well noted by diarists and writers, and it will be replayed time and time again in books, on film, in dramas wherever the first Duchess of Sussex is featured.

    • RoyalSparkle says:

      –1000
      This is basic Protocol for Duchess Sussex to have missed this.

      There is no “preference” here – HM is Head of State and as such all others are to ‘get out of the way’ – take leave to the car – while TQ takes Center Stage with the dignitaries and say her goodbye.

  3. Iknowwhatboyslike says:

    The Queen touched her elbow, which is universal for, as you said, get your ass in the car first.

  4. Milla says:

    She got confused. It happens, what i found amusing is how she’s running around in heels. I admire women who can do it without looking like idiots, meaning me.

    • I agree, I admire anyone who can walk well in such high heels. But why oh why are her shoes always too big? Anytime we see photos of her feet, the shoes look too loose at the heel.

      • Jan90067 (aka Imqrious2) says:

        They’re not big. If you’ve try on high heels, your foot will “fit” in the back, but when you walk, your door “slides” a bit forward to the toes (which you are walking on basically, especially the higher of a heel you wear). That is what makes a high heel that fits when you’re standing still look “large” in the back.

      • Masamf says:

        O my goodness, okay, its borderline obsession with her shoes and feet now. That’s how her feet were created, that’t how they fit in her shoes, that’s how she likes wearing her shoes because that’s what’s comfortable for HER. She can’t be wearing shoes that other people approve of if they aren’t comfortable for her. That’s how her feet we’re created, move on there’s no story there,.

      • Anastasia says:

        She has pretty narrow feet. Unless she gets a pair of shoes custom made to fit every dimension of her feet (that’s my dream for myself!), they’re going to gap a bit in the back.

      • Liberty says:

        My aunt has the same delicate legs and feet, and the same issue with high heeled shoes. Only the driving Mocs she has made in Italy (same shop, years now) really fit well.

    • OriginalLala says:

      the last time I tried running (well, fast paced walking) in heels, I tripped and fell. So graceful. I also admire women who can walk well in high stilettos like that because I clearly can’t.

      • Milla says:

        I fell so many times. Never graceful. Always like a drunk freshman on spring break. Btw I don’t think i was actually ever drunk.

        Imagine walking in her shoes, which are btw not too big or small, and you are around the freaking queen… I’d crush the queen especially since I’m taller than average, that little lady wouldn’t stand a chance…

      • Nichole says:

        Grocery stores are good for practice, because you can have a cart in front of you to hold onto!

    • audfhauio says:

      it’s really a coveted skill IMO. god knows I can’t walk ten feet in them

  5. twocatsngirl says:

    I really like her dress.

    • girl_ninja says:

      That dress is so dope and she looked great in it.

    • CommentingBunny says:

      I thought I was the only one who liked the dress!

      • Liberty says:

        No, I liked it too and you can add four of my friends, plus my mother, aunt and great-aunt.

      • Marianne says:

        Add me to the list. I LOVE her dress. She looks rad. And, I love her hair loose, dammit. Wish I had that hair.

    • MousieBrown says:

      I do too – so sleek and elegant.

    • minx says:

      I have to say I like it more in these pictures than I did yesterday.

      • Lahdidahbaby says:

        Same here. The DM pics yesterday showed tons of “sitting” wrinkles across the front of it. It looks much better in these pics.

        I thought the way she asked the Queen about their seating in the car was sweet: “What is your preference?” In Meghan’s place, I’d have been flummoxed and said something stupid. Not “Age before beauty,” but something clumsy, no doubt.

        The duchess does have a cute derriere.

      • Bella Dupont says:

        @Lahdidababy:

        “Age before beauty”….lol…..you’d have been ordered to face a firing squad for that one!

        “The DM pics yesterday showed tons of “sitting” wrinkles across the front of it….”. It wouldn’t surprise me to fin out that they highlighted the wrinkles and maybe even photo-shopped in a few of their own.

    • audfhauio says:

      I love it, personally

    • Jan90067 (aka Imqrious2) says:

      LOVE this dress. Simple, professional, elegant, chic….And yes, this is nit picky, ONLY things I’d change are a smaller belt, so so much isn’t flapping loose past the buckle, and put her hair in a ponytail or maybe a French Braid so it wouldn’t have been whipping all around her face in the wind. Otherwise, gorgeous.

    • Apalapa says:

      One of the women from Ladies of London Juliet something, wrote on her insta that several years ago Meghan came to London for a movie premiere and all the designers refused to dress her.
      So I wonder if her choosing a French label, Givenchy (but with a woman from England at the helm) is because they make ‘royal’ looking clothes, but also because MM is giving a middle finger to the British designers who snubbed her, and telling them, “I remember.”

      • whatever1 says:

        That would be really petty of her if she did. Not all designers would have refused to dress her but a few probably did but I can’t really blame them tbh. She wasn’t well known back then and brands don’t get as much publicity if a lesser known celebrity wears their clothing. Snubbing’s like this are not unusual for lesser known celebrities.

      • magnoliarose says:

        No. The head designer is British. She has worn several British designers in the last year so I don’t believe that story. It sounds like rubbish. She may have not have been able to get the top picks from top designers but refuse is strong. They refuse to dress plenty of people, usually reality stars or K klan types, scandalous people or someone who they just don’t want in their clothes. “Refuse” sounds like someone bitchy exaggerating using a provocative word.

      • minx says:

        I just don’t see MM doing that.

      • Brrrap says:

        Though I don’t doubt MM is a petty b*tch, (you already had a husband) even she wouldn’t be dumb enough to not understand why name designers wouldn’t be throwing clothes at a nobody.

      • Lizabeth says:

        What the story actually said was London designers refused to lend a FREE outfit to Meghan’s stylist for Meghan to wear to the event not that the designers didn’t want Meghan to wear their designs. The original story stated outright it was because she wasn’t famous enough. This occurred between the 3rd and 4th season of Suits and MM wasn’t very well-known then. I can’t imagine Meghan carrying a grudge because of that…her then-stylist might have though!

        @BRRRAP- So all women who’ve been divorced are “petty B’s”? That’s almost half of all women who’ve ever been married so you must find alot of women lacking!

      • Lady D says:

        That comment had me scratching my head too, Lizabeth.

      • Masamf says:

        @BRRRAP, as they say, it takes one to recognize one.

  6. LaraK says:

    I think the queen trumps all protocol. If she says that you walk in front of her, get in and out of the car first, leave the room first and dress like a trollop, then that’s the protocol.
    I actually think Meghan was very smart to ask – it shows that she is actively working to learn.

  7. Mego says:

    The Duchess asked HM “What is your preference?” and did what the Queen asked. It’s not as if she shoved the Queen out of the way and jumped in the car. Breaking protocol my a**

  8. Cher says:

    People just have find some nonsense to complain about.

    • Jan90067 (aka Imqrious2) says:

      Dear God, I went into The Fail for more pics…and the comment section!!! I clicked off fast, they are HORRID there! I hope Scotland Yard, MI5 and 6 can access IP addresses of some of those nut jobs! Seriously, whackadoos! Scary!

      • Guest says:

        The dailymail comment section is scary. They dont do a good job monitoring it.

      • Masamf says:

        @Guest, I believe the DM comment section is regulated, to an extent at least, because if and when I posted comments calling them out on their bias, those comments never make it. So I think they allow certain posts that suits their agenda and anything that might criticize the story itself is deleted very fast.

      • PrincessK says:

        Yes, I only go there because they have the best and largest quantity of pics and videos. I still do comment at times, and I am known there , under another name, for being a very loud pro Meghan person.

  9. Skylark says:

    Re protocol, I think it’s also something to do with the queen being seated on the side of the car next to the pavement rather than the road so she can step directly on to it at each stop.

    Meghan did nothing wrong and if anyone’s to blame for her ‘confusion’, it’s that official who ushered her forward in an ‘in you get’ mannner.

    • Emily says:

      Exactly! Why aren’t these people up on the protocols if they’re so important? They were the ones trying to get her in the car.

  10. Seraphina says:

    Love questions like that, of course everything is grand. Honeymoon stage. It’s like when I was asked about my new boss, what am I supposed to say????

    This particular outing with TQ is great. Seeing how at giddy they look together is great. It must be refreshing for HM to see someone take such an interest in the establishment she has given her life to. And that really is the bottom line, if what I’ve read is true. I too am happy when a person takes an interest in my culture and asks questions and wants to learn. Good on MM/DS. Some have said MM will easily be forgotten once this honeymoon stage is over (with the press) but anyone who is using their privilege for good isn’t forgotten by the people. So say what some of you want, MM is here to stay.

    • PrincessK says:

      The Queen knows her years are numbered and she wants to leave the future of the monarchy intact, and she must have been very pleased to see such a huge turnout from the people of Cheshire.

      • Liberty says:

        Very good point, PrincessK.

        And I agree with you as well, Seraphina. I laughed at the comments suggesting MM would disappear post-wedding into unimportance.

      • Masamf says:

        @Princessk, ITA, I too think HM was very pleased. The crowd was big in the videos, and many calling and yelling Meghan’s name. I was proud of Meghan not waving to any crowd before HM did, she is learning, and that’s a good thing.

      • Aurelia says:

        God I remember waitys first public outing after the engagement. I can still see her when I close my eyes grinning and waving manicly like a hyeana. I had hope for her back then.

    • Betsy says:

      I think that’s what they said about Diana back in the day, that she’d fade in popularity after she was in The Firm. Ha.

      I hope that Meghan and Harry have a happier ending together than that.

  11. sally says:

    Why can’t she ever wear shoes that fit?

    • Sam says:

      Well Sally considering her shoes aren’t falling off her feet when she walks ,we can assume they fit yeah?

    • Thank you Sally! Have just replied to comment about walking in heels with same remark, shoes always too big! Seriously, how hard can it be to buy shoes that fit, have clothes altered to fit properly (ref overlong trousers on earlier walkabout), and learn to keep hair tidy when on official engagements? It can’t be a shortage of help, the palaces are undoubtedly teeming with staff.

      • milgen says:

        The shoes being slightly bigger is a Hollywood trick. As feet swell from standing and running around in heels, the extra space allows for more comfort. Nothing to complain about here. She looks amazing!

      • Aurelia says:

        The problem are her feet are so narrow. I remember petite nicole ritchie ;s shoes always did the same. Meghan needs AAA fit or custom made shoes.

    • ValiantlyVarnished says:

      Her shoes fit fine. Like Sam said if they didn’t they would be falling off her feet. I have skinny ankles just like Meghan. All of my heels look like this. It’s because the ankle is too thin to fill out the back of the shoe. And all of my heels fit my feet just fine. Any smaller would be too tight.

    • Masamf says:

      So there’s nothing else to criticize her about so lets start nit picking her feet? Oookaay, great!!

      • Maria says:

        So nitpicking about Kate’s shoes is ok? You must have missed the posts about the Trooping of the Colour. Kate is already tall, why does she wear such high heels? She is towering over all the others, (especially over Meghan who is shorter and was relegated to the back.) I mean, how dare she? Criticize her work ethic, fine. There is plenty of nitpicking on Kate threads. I mean if we can’t bitch, what fun is there?

      • magnoliarose says:

        @Maria
        Aren’t you one of the posters who complain about comparisons? I don’t mean to sound harsh but I don’t see what Kate has to do with the comment.

    • Argonaut says:

      do you really believe that a random person on the internet such as yourself would know whether or not the shoe fits the person BETTER THAN THE PERSON WEARING IT? she’s a duchess, she has no problem getting shoes that fit her.

      stop overfunctioning.

  12. YantkLynn says:

    Also there were senior aides and ladies in waiting and what all, all over the place. But Meghan is the one who should have known ? I was irritated by the use of “flustered” and the headlines in some tabloids implying Meg fell apart. I see a flash of a question on her face and then she sensibly asks what is wanted. No one describes that dude with the blanket as “flustered” and he was stymied too.

    • Masamf says:

      YantkLynn, I take all the tabloid reporting with a grain of salt. Not just those, but also many comments on here get too OTT depending on whose side the commenter is on; so I always make sure to watch a clip and make my own conclusions. This story is a nothing burger. As Kaiser said, tabloids are just mad that nothing went majorly wrong so they try to find something…anything to make a story out of. This was a 3-5 second confusion if you watch the vids and she made sure to ask and get directions from HM. Im sure HM didn’t even give it a second thought but of course if Meghan didn’t screw up, her dress was the proper length, no fly ups, no shoulders to criticize, HM is laughing with Meghan and seems to be enjoying herself and having fun, then its “oh my God, we need to find some fault somewhere about this American woman etc etc. That’s what this is all about, trying to make a story out of a nothing burger so Meghan looks bad somehow. I read the story and comments about how wrinkled Meghan’s dress was, how stiff the material was, etc. I went and watched it all and I never saw the massive wrinkles people were going on and on about, pretty much just shook my head at where people were getting all that BC from.

      • PrincessK says:

        The dress look great and the few creases at times were probably because it was made out of a natural fabric. I need to wear pure cotton and linen because `i have sensitive skin, and I love the way my linens crease.

  13. cara93 says:

    God, who the hell cares????

    And this stupid crap about wearing your hair up or down or in curls…WHO THE HELL CARES????????

    • Amelie says:

      Yeah I don’t get the whole “hair must be up/down” thing. Kate often wears her hair down, it’s what she prefers. Sometimes it doesn’t look great with the outfits but that’s her cross to bear. Also the whole “sausage curls” thing–if you google sausage curls, they are the curls Shirley Temple had in her hair as a girl. I recall very few instances where Kate had her hair curled that much. I don’t like everything she wears but the criticism of her hair has always really puzzled me.

      Same for Meghan. Her hair looks fine here, it’s clearly been styled and isn’t flying all over the place. And it isn’t in a messy bun which people love to pearl clutch over!

      As for the car thing, Meghan did the right thing–ask the Queen what she preferred and she said to go in first. The end!

      • Scram says:

        Yeah, I realized during Trooping that my definition of sausage curls might be different than the standard around here. For me it’s those time when it looks like the barrel/brush was removed and that was it, no additional styling, a 21st century approximation of the Google results. Most times her hair is just curled. Same with the buttons. Sometimes she goes overboard on the decorative buttons, but they’re often just typical coat closures and I don’t see the problem.

    • Masamf says:

      And the day was windy as heck, EVERYBODY’S hair was flying everywhere, every woman I say was struggling to keep their hair in place. It was very windy in all the videos I watched.

      • Olenna says:

        ITA; it was right there in the videos and I don’t know why people think cutting her hair or pulling it back is going to make it more manageable in WIND. She obviously likes her hair long, so should she shave her head to appease them? That’s the only length that won’t fly away. Like I said before, people either have very high expectations of her (more than they would for themselves in some cases) or they just don’t like her and want to nitpick. There was the “why wasn’t she wearing a hat and where are her gloves” attitude that was pretty ridiculous as well.

    • lobbit says:

      Same, girl. SAME. I feel the same way about Kate.

  14. RBC says:

    And once they were in the car the Queen turned to Meghan and said “ That was fun let’s go knock back some g&t’s before the next event. “

    • Olenna says:

      A toast to the ultimate girls’ trip! That’s how’d I’d like to think it happened, too!

    • KiddV says:

      I hope they had a nightcap and girl talk the night before.

      So, Duchess Meg, how’s the Duke performing his duties?

      Very well, Ma’am, very well.

      • LizB says:

        The Duke’s duties LOL

      • Liberty says:

        Ha!

        I like to imagine the Queen being able to loosen up now in her golden years, and have a giggle and gossip with Harry and Meghan. Being surrounded by the men in gray for 90+ years…. no corgis to amuse her….maybe now she realizes has H&M to hang out with, and and they all imitate Camilla and watch Tv and have a laugh. No prim clucking minders around.

  15. Tan says:

    Oh who cares!

    Btw the throw of newly wed: best husband everrr 🙂

  16. bread says:

    If the queen is present then surely the protocol is whatever the queen says it is. She obviously gestures for Meghan to go first. There’s no story here.

  17. Anare says:

    Meghan look great. I love that dress. Her hair is beautiful. Styling makeup all on point. She deferred to the Queen by the car and did what the Queen told her to do. No scandal!
    I think Meghan is really lovely and the only thing I would nitpick about is that she flutters her hands around and puts her hands up to her face a lot. Could be nerves or just a habit. Some people do waive their hands around a lot. I was brought up by a mom who reminds me a lot of QEII. Definitely no nonsense. Two things I remember her eye rolling: being handsy and having what she called a “clucky“ walk. An old BF once complemented my posture and said I kind of glided along as I walked. I had to laugh. Thanks Mom.

    • Enn says:

      I have a habit of playing with one of my earrings when I’m listening to someone or focusing on something. I don’t do it consciously and I can only assume I started doing it as a kid. Because of that, I don’t judge Kate or Meghan for it.

      I also find myself doing it with my hair when I wear it down, which is rarely.

    • lobbit says:

      Yeah, I’m guessing the handsy stuff is a combination of nervousness and also just the body releasing excess energy/tension. I’m pretty handsy too lol. At her wedding, though, I noticed that she was able to control it – she grabbed Harry’s hand and was SO very still for the entire ceremony. So I feel like she might overcome it in time.

  18. Always Lurking says:

    Annoying and miserable people always find stuff to complain about. I thought the Duchess did great and it was fun watching HM being so at ease with her. I would love to see Meghan, Kate and HM doing some events together.

  19. Annie says:

    Meghan is obviously beautiful, intelligent and VERY classy. Anybody who can’t top those qualities HAVE NO RIGHT to criticize her.. PERIOD. As “Sam” very rightly pointed out: If her shoes don’t slip or drop off of her feet then obviously THEY FIT. Leave her alone.

    • homeslice says:

      Should we apply those same rules for Kate…LMAO.

      • Olenna says:

        Well, people can if that’s what they want; other’s don’t have to follow. If you have opinions about KM’s qualities, you can express them, too, regardless if people think there should be rules.

    • Sam says:

      Ok….Ive watched those videos and it’s obvious her shoes fit because she has no difficulty walking in them so it’s a weird issue to be making such a deal out of it.Also people can critisise her jeez but there was nothing here to critisise.

    • minx says:

      It’s a gossip site…but yes, I’ll buy that we are all beautiful, intelligent and very classy.

  20. Lizabeth says:

    I agree her shoes fit since she can walk in them fine. I suspect she may have a narrow heel and have to use stick on pads inside. While that would help them fit her foot, we’d still see a gap from the outside. She may like her trousers to be longer than others do (I think they’d look better a tiny bit shorter too) but I really doubt she buys pair after pair of shoes that are too large for her!

    • ValiantlyVarnished says:

      I have skinny ankles and narrow heels as well and all of my pumps fit like this. I generally dont add pads inside because that can actually squish the toe box and make the shoes painful. The gap always looks larger than it actually is and feels in the shoe.

  21. Keepitreal says:

    Issue is a storm in a thimble; Meghan was absolutely fine. However, the failure here are the protocol people like Samantha Cohen. Meghan should have waited for the queen to enter the car, then an aide should have escorted the Duchess to the other side and opened the car door and seen her in as well. No fault of either the Duchess or the Queen. However, Meghan, for the love of God as one biracial woman to another, please get someone to work with your hair!!!! I don’t even care about the fashion, but there is so much that could be done with your hair.

    • Adee says:

      Right! As a third biracial woman to another, I only wear my naturally curly ethnic hair, so I can just imagine what straightening, humidity and wind will do to our kind of hair. But that said, she pulls it off with elegance and grace.

      • Keepitreal says:

        Thank you! So do I…..I have about a thousand different hair products that I have tried to tame my hair….the humidity is driving me crazy with the frizz. I appreciate your response so much!

      • MissM says:

        She gets smoothing treatments done to her hair. Her hair type doesn’t seem very coarse or especially thick so her being bi racial isn’t really a factor when it comes to how it’s styled. She just prefers it down and could use a new stylist. However since they traveled overnight I’m guessing she got a blowout before they left and thus was her second day hair.

      • Scotchy says:

        Fourth bi-ethnic woman here and unlike ya’ll ( from the sounds of it) I don’t have curls just dense coarse waves, and I wear my hair flat ironed most of the time. Wind and humidity are my worst enemies so I feel her pain. I get twice yearly keratin treatments to help, but to prevent too much heat styling damage I have been wearing braids or buns. I am currently trying to work my hair into a curl pattern. Siiigghh the mixie hair struggle is real 🙂

      • PrincessK says:

        Do biracial women really have more problems with their hair than black women or any women for that matter?? Your hair type depends on the quality of hair you inherit from your parents, Some white people have thin lank hair, others have thick glossy hair, and both types have their challenges.

        I know black people born with hair that is scanty and hardly grows and I know black people who have hair that grows long and is thick enough to withstand all kinds combing heating and straightening, its all to do with genes.

        I will concede that black hair responds to weather changes but I would imagine white hair does too. Very cold weather can cause black hair to break and requires extra care but so does white hair probably.

      • Scram says:

        @princessk

        It’s about texture. Black people, mixed or otherwise, tend to have naturally textured hair from loose waves to various sized curls to really kinky hair that folds in on itself and sometimes a mix of all three. A black person could probably commiserate with a curly haired person of any other race, but straight hair is much different (all of it reacts to things like weather and can be frustrating though).

        Of course hair can grow at different rates, but it’s about keeping what grows and that’s where many black women have issues.
        The more textured your hair is, the more dry it probably is and the more fragile. If the strands are fine on top of that then good luck. Relaxers and heat styling (or just over styling) weakens strands and lead to breakage. Wind can damage hair and make it dry (also frizzy) which leads to breakage. Humidity makes it frizzy, results in shrinkage, which often means tangles, and that can also lead to breakage. Oh, there are knots too!

        As for Meghan’s hair apparently it’s curly and she uses keratin treatments. I don’t know her situation, but I assume she knows her hair and does what’s best for it. Maybe she wears it down to avoid excessive styling or maybe it’s preference. As long as it doesn’t look like utter crap I won’t complain much although I’ll obviously, like everyone else, have opinions depending on outfit and event.

    • Liberty says:

      If I spent the night on a train, I would probably step out with a touch of road-trip hair too. Just saying.

    • Janet says:

      I wonder what would happen if Meghan just wore her natural curls (with a bit of oil or whatever you use on curls to tame them a little)? Surely it would save her so much time and it would be healthier on the hair. Would ethnic/afro curls be considered unkempt and disrespectful for these occasions, not as “tidy” and “royal”?

      I mean, I’m sure straight hair is her preference, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most black women in the public eye prefer to straighten their hair. I think the hair straightening is down to white hair still being the norm and the beauty ideal.

      • TuxCat5 says:

        The “beauty ideal” changes with the times. I have straight hair, like my mom. I was a kid of the ’80s, and my mom flat out told me how ugly she thought straight hair was. She took me to get my first perm when I was 11, and with the exception of when my hair was short (for about 6 months), my hair was permed regularly until I was 21. When the perm was fading, it was hot rollers, all the way. I’m 46 now and still can’t believe that women put out hundreds of dollars to straighten their absolutely stunning naturally curly or wavy hair.

        It’s challenging to care for, I’ve been told, but I still don’t think I’ll ever understand how anyone could possibly see curly and wavy hair as anything but gorgeous. I hate trying to style my straight hair. It hangs. It naturally pulls downward. It’s flat. It requires layers, tons of styling product, and different types of brushes and irons and doo-dads to make it do anything other than hang (and said styling lasts a short time)–and I absolutely hate the time and effort to do that stuff, especially since I never could do it right. It’s like a horse’s tail (hence the name “pony tail”–as if my head is a horse’s butt! lol). And it’s not naturally thick enough/there’s not enough of it do any of the beautiful complex braids or anything. Curly/wavy hair has a natural life and lift to it. It’s a natural sculpture, the body’s own art: grow it, trim it/shape it, and care for/condition it, and it’s its own style.

      • Lady D says:

        I agree with everything you said, TuxCat5. Love curly hair. It’s so pretty.

      • KiddV says:

        TuxCat5 – I think we have the same hair.

        And I love curly and textured hair. I’m amazed at the ways textured hair can be styled.

  22. tw says:

    I’m still confused by this dress. Whyyyy

  23. harla says:

    I noticed after Meghan’s successful outing with the Queen yesterday all sorts of stories started coming out about all the jewelry Kate’s been given by the BRF, how Kate’s relationship with the Queen compares to Meghans and on and on. It’s just so frustrating and rather sad that the press can’t let Meghan have one day of good press without somehow bringing Kate into the mix and try to make her look better than Meg. If I was Kate I’d be mortified that the press and my “fans” are trying to undermine my new sister-in-law. With two different and unique young Duchesses now in the BRF, there’s something for everyone so no need to bring one down to raise the other

    • Skylark says:

      It is sad but then, look on here how the two are constantly pitted against each other? The media is only picking up on what it knows will get clicks so it’s all a bit of a petty vicious circle.

    • Leyton says:

      Kate fans are the same way. They were on twitter and other social media sites posting pictures of the Queen and Kate. Some of the “Royal watchers/experts” who claim to remain neutral tweeted all day about everything BUT that. They even posted flashbacks of the Queen at engagements.

      They don’t want to see Meghan do good because deep down they know, SHE IS GOOD! The woman has just got started and she’s off to a better start than Kate and that bothers them.

    • Skylark says:

      Yes but (uber)Meghan fans are just as bad as (uber)Kate fans. Both sets can’t say something nice about one without saying something dismissive about the other.

      It’s exhausting.

      • MsTurtle says:

        Kinda strange to me because I find myself liking both of them so much. They may be different but they both have taken on a role where they’ll be damned if they do or don’t do xyz. Some of us manage to root for both women!

      • minx says:

        I’m American so I gravitate towards Meghan, but I like Kate well enough. Her work ethic could be improved and her style is sometimes…questionable. But I don’t hate her the way some do. I’m also interested in those adorable kids.

      • Moneypenny424 says:

        I’m a fan of both women too. I adore Meghan now and will always have a soft spot for Kate. I want to see them become good friends and be fabulous together.

  24. homeslice says:

    TQ handled it perfectly, non-story.

    MM needs to either find shoes that fit, or get some gel insoles or something. Those shoes look like they are ready to come off…

    • lobbit says:

      Meh, if they didn’t come off, then they fit.

      • Penny says:

        Yes Lobbit, but that’s too logical an answer for the people that don’t like Meghan and need to nitpick…if I wear even a half size too big, my feet come out of the shoe so based on simple real life experiences, I can tell her damn shoes fit just fine. How many comments are we going to have about her shoes?? It’s everytime!! That’s just how her ankles look in the shoe because they’re thin, move on. If her feet aren’t falling out of the shoe, she’s good.

      • homeslice says:

        I have skinny ankles and small size 6 feet, my shoes never ever look like this. It IS one of my peeves if I try on shoes and they look big. Sorry, her shoes look big and it looks weird to me. Maybe she should have a few pairs custom made, lol.

      • lobbit says:

        IDK, homeslice – maybe your shoes are too small. Maybe you’ve been doing the whole shoe-wearing thing all wrong for your entire adult life. Crazy. Either way, any concerns about the look of the fit of her shoes has very little to do with whether or not the shoes actually fit her feet comfortably. If the shoes stay on her feet and she can walk in them, and if there’s some room in them to accommodate swelling, then they fit.

      • lobbit says:

        @Penny, I actually didn’t consider the ankle thing lol! I use the “do they stay on my feet” test for heels as well and I don’t tend to notice the gap between the heel and the back of the shoe–on my feet or anyone else’s.

        I do think that nitpicking is honestly just the predominant form of engagement for royal watchers.

  25. Antimon says:

    Haha this is ridiculous and hilariously nitpicky. Are people really criticising her for this? I don’t want to go to the Daily Hate so someone tell me!
    Usually when I get in a car with an older person, I either go in first or go round so the older person doesn’t have to get in and scootch into the other seat. That’s not very comfortable when you’re older. So I think Meghan did the right thing here.
    If they really don’t want any discussion at the door of the car, then the protocol people should step it up and guide her to ensure smooth transitions.

    • Lizabeth says:

      I agree @Antimon the car thing was no big deal. But I don’t think applying what would work for us in everyday life when accompanying an older person works here. Hence the confusion for Meghan given the #1 rule of “the Queen goes first.” For example, if walking with an older person I would walk with the person, not behind the person. And if approaching a door, I’d step in front of the person in order to open and hold the door. In getting out if a car, depending on how spry the person is, I might jump out first so I could come around and help the other person out. None of those everyday actions would have been right here.

  26. KiddV says:

    I hope there are a lot more Meghan articles to come. As an American I need something fun and uplifting to read right now. And while I enjoy reading articles about Kate and the rest of the royals, there’s no connection for me there. I like seeing Meghan do well.

    It’s all I have until Mueller starts rounding up the Trumps and throwing them in jail.

    • homeslice says:

      Keep wishing for that. These sleeze balls walk in shite and come off smelling like a rose. I can’t even read anymore, I’m literally sick to death.

      • magnoliarose says:

        I am on a news light diet because I only end up frustrated and full of rage. I turned the corner when I realized it will have to get very very bad for it to get better. I am resigned to this. It may be what has to happen for things to change.
        The media is full of weakling dimwits who refuse to report to the news and hang on his every word legitimizing his lunacy so it will continue.

      • magnoliarose says:

        *report the news*

    • PrincessK says:

      @ KiddV “It’s all I have until Mueller starts rounding up the Trumps and throwing them in jail.”…….I literally choked laughing at that comment.

  27. Case says:

    I feel nervous on Meghan’s behalf watching video footage from this event. Seems nerve-wracking, but looks as though she did a great job on her first outing with the Queen. She did the right thing by asking what to do. I find Meghan completely delightful.

  28. Mar says:

    I love Megan. She’s a class act. I wish people would stop dissecting everything

  29. Leyton says:

    I’m getting tired of these “protocol police” picking up on every single thing Meghan does and deciding it’s against some unspoken, unknown rule.

    THIS DOESNT EXSIST!

    She asked the Queen what her preference was, the woman told her to get in first. End of story.

    • YankLynn says:

      exactly Leyton. I noticed no one calls the guy with the blanket “flustered”. He seemed to ask more questions of the Queen than Meghan did. I hate these headlines because while its clear she has a question, she sensibly asks whats wanted and then complies. Over in a blink. Meanwhile where’s all the high powered senior aides and ladies in waiting. DM’s headline should have been Queen’s senior aides nip off for coffee and leave Queen and Duchess stranded on the sidewalk !

    • Suze says:

      It’s not just Meghan it’s all royalty Kate included. It’s part of the game when you join the royal family. You want the easy rich life with tax payers money the expect to be critiqued. Get over it. Why should Meghan be treated any different than anyone else. Quit being so sensitive

  30. Maria says:

    Heck if she can walk in those shoes then fine.
    But what applies to Meghan should also apply to Kate. If she wants to wear 5 inch heels and she is comfortable, then that should also be fine.

  31. Guest says:

    She looked so good. Love the dress and happy to see shes putting some weight back on. Dailymail had to find something. And if this is it? Then she did great. It wasn’t like her dress was too short and look she covered her shoulders….😉

  32. Vanessa says:

    Meghan did really good on her first official outing as the duchess and she got along well with the queen and those royal experts and Meghan hater are upset because they want to see her failed and embarrassed. This is a nothing story so now there making up so called protocol rules to making it seem as if Meghan has no clue what she doing they have to find way to knock her down if it’s not her hair or shoes or clothing it’s something else to pick apart

    • Maria says:

      And that never happens on a Kate site?

      • Vanessa says:

        I’m talking about Meghan not Kate this thread has nothing to do with Kate You Kate fans flip out whenever someone dare mentions her name in Meghan thread yet you bring her up .

      • Guest says:

        Lol, maria all you have done is bring up Kate. No one is even talking about her. Dont worry kate will still be queen consort and reign supreme.

  33. SV says:

    I can imagine the one hard actual protocol rule Meghan knew for sure was never walk in front of the Queen. So when someone is motioning for Meghan to get in the car first, Meghan froze because alarm bells were going off that if she went ahead of the Queen it would be siezed upon. Imagine the media stories if she had just jumped in the car first as she was being directed. There would have been an enormous issue if Meghan did it. So Meghan made sure she got permission directly from the Queen.

  34. artistsnow says:

    The Queen likes to sit behind the driver, so no. Not at all.

  35. Em says:

    Mountain-MoleHill. Megs waited for the Queen to get in the car, then went around to the otherside to get in herself, not realizing that the Queen would actually scoot across to the drivers side.

  36. Lizabeth says:

    Along with the all the stories today about all the jewelry Kate has been given (compared I guess to one “crummy” pair of earrings gifted to Meghan by the Queen) there are lots of stories about Meghan having to give up one of her favorite foods–seafood– because the BRF doesn’t eat seafood for fear of food poisoning. I have read the Queen doesn’t like seafood and it may make sense not to eat it during tours abroad but why was seafood served at both Will and Kate’s wedding and Harry & Meghan’s wedding if the family doesn’t eat it and fears it? Trying to poison the guests? And haven’t we all read Kate eats fish to maintain her slim figure?

  37. Masamf says:

    I read that HM doesn’t eat seafood when travelling or when visiting some place for fear of seafood high potential of causing food poisoning. I guess because most sea food is never fully cooked, it’s either eaten raw or semi cooked so she only eats it in her household where her chefs know and prepare/cook it the way she likes it. I’ve never heard of them royals never eating seafood.

  38. Rdmum says:

    British cars are right hand drive so the Queen would have had to walk to the other side to get in behind the driver. Meghan probably had to scoot over because I doubt the Queen would walk to the other side. Also – I doubt the Queen likes sitting behind the driver because as mentioned as the driver is on the right side she would have to constantly get out of the car and walk over which doesn’t make sense.

  39. Busyann says:

    Sigh. These comments were exhausting to read. Such nitpicking. Shoes, hair, creases, car, who cares. Meghan knocked it out of the park. Let the girl enjoy her win.

    Also, can I just point out that not a lot of people brought up Kate much in this post, but still a few people did just to say, that we need to stop comparing MM and KM. Okaaaaaay, no one was doing that. Kind of seems like some commenters want to fan the flames a bit.

  40. Yes Doubtful says:

    The nit picking about what she wears and her hair style is so ridiculous. They need to update their “protocols” to the 21st century.

    On a good note, I love the queen. I love when we can see a bit of her personality and humanity underneath the stone cold exterior that she often presents.

  41. Marianne says:

    This is hardly a story. Meghan is still new to all this. She asked the Queen what her preference was and the Queen replied for her to get in fist. And she did. Like, why are people making this into a bigger deal than it is.

  42. windyriver says:

    Slightly OT but relating to the dress: Rooney Mara wore what looks like the same style to the Met Gala, also Givenchy, but with a different, long skirt and made of a different material. Don’t know how to link the picture directly, but it’s #57 in the Celebrity Looks at the bottom. Happened to walk through the exhibit while visiting the main Met museum to see something else, and wanted to read more about it; flipped through the pictures, and there it was.

    https://www.vogue.com/article/met-gala-2018-theme-heavenly-bodies-fashion-and-the-catholic-imagination

    I like the basic style – tho prefer Meghan’s take – with one exception: think both would have looked better with a softer, more rounded shoulder.

    Also, the pulled back hair for RM looks a bit severe to me, though possibly appropriate for the evening event.

  43. kristabel says:

    I think she looked great here. The givenchy dress was a nice clapback to al the shoulder critiques. But we need to talk about what she wore to a cousin’s wedding this weekend. It’s really unfortunate.

    • C. Remm says:

      Very unfortunate I might say.

    • Olenna says:

      Yes, the floral dress worn to the cousin’s wedding was unfortunate. As with that Erdem maxi she wore in Jamaica, it was just too much fabric for her height and frame, and it was too big. Kitty Spencer’s D&G floral dress was unfortunate as well.

    • Guest says:

      Lol. This dress looks amazing on her. That monstrosity of the dress she wore at the wedding looks awful.

  44. homeslice says:

    $5400 de la Renta fugery. She looks like some toilet paper got stuck to her head too…oy.

    • Olenna says:

      I hate to say it, but you’re right. Even the fascinator was bad. I hope she kept the receipts for both items. They look like “returns” to me.

    • KiddV says:

      I like that dress and I don’t mind it on Meghan. It’s not great, it sort of overwhelms her, but it’s still a pretty dress on her for a wedding and I think she looks fine. And I just can’t shade anything Oscar de la Renta.

    • Agenbiter says:

      Two thoughts: 1) She is under the sway of VB’s maxim ‘buy too big and you will look adorably tiny’ or 2) She is deliberately trying to kill expectation that she is concerned with fashion.

    • PrincessK says:

      After watching the video of her walking to the Church I decided to revise my earlier thoughts about the dress. In the video you can see the ‘movement’ of the dress, it is very floaty in a nice way. Unfortunately the still photographs of her do not convey how the dress ‘moves’ and consequently looked rather awful. For the first time I had to agree with a lot of the comments on DM. I wonder what size the dress was.

      What a contrast from the Meghan of last week, and for once Harry, with a coordinated blue tie, looked smarter than she did……😀….but we didn’t expect to see Meghan again so soon so it was a bonus, and her lovely smile trumps everything.

  45. Jag says:

    Meghan wear what the heck you like, it others don’t like it, tough cheese.
    There ia a tale out there, a man’s son was on the back of a donkey, the crowd complained, lazy son let your father ride the donkey, when the man rode the donkey, the crowd said the man should be carrying the donkey, and so on it went.

  46. Katebush says:

    That dress is far and away the worst thing she’s worn so far. Seems like she’s maybe not that much into fashion?

    • Rainbow says:

      If she’s not that into fashion then perhaps she should turn to someone who is…and I don’t mean Jessica Mulroney. Someone not into fashion wouldn’t really be wearing a $5000 dress. That requires looking into high fashion brands and searching for what to wear. You don’t stumble into Oscar de la Renta out of nowhere.

  47. Nellyy says:

    Let me sum up Meghan’s fashion( I still don’t see her as style savvy or a fashionista) in one sentence: “It’s one step forward, five steps backwards”. If out of 10 times, you get your fashion right only 4 times, for even 5, you are not a fashionista by any standard. Many people here didn’t know her before Harry and they are judging her fashion based on what they saw on suits. Her style to me has been pretty much normal, not outstanding, but normal. The only thing she has worn that I loved was the black pants suit. Even the engagement black dress was just okay. Most of her clothes and shoes are usually ill fitted and over sized. She didn’t have a fantastic pre-wedding style, and she only seems to be getting worse. Compare her pre wedding style with Letizia and Raina, you’ll see that she had zero game in terms of style. Women who are stylish? Raina, Rihanna, Letizia, Giselle, JLo, Issa Rae, Eva Longoria etc. But I’ve never considered Meghan a style icon cos she is really not one.