Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Broke Royal Protocol at Archie’s Christening — But For a Good Reason

Meghan Markle welcomed her first child, Prince Archie, on May 6, 2019. His private christening took place at Windsor Castle on July 6, with reportedly just 25 guests. While the small guest list itself was a break from tradition, Markle and her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, also broke protocol with their outfits. Markle wore a non-British-designed outfit, and the Princess of Wales wore an above-the-knee dress against royal custom.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released two pictures of the christening on their official Instagram account. According to Vogue Australia, Markle wore a custom white three-quarter-sleeved Dior (French label) dress with a matching hat. Meanwhile, Middleton wore an above-the-knee Stella McCartney dress with a matching red headband. The outlet reports that the hemline isn’t a traditional length for the Princess and signaled a move towards the softening of the strict royal dress code.

Markle reportedly had good reason to opt for a Dior dress instead of a British-designed outfit. At the time of the christening, the fashion house announced Maria Grazia Chiuri as their first female creative director. Chiuri has since been moving the brand towards a progressive feminist ideology. Her makeup artist, Daniel Martin, who was an ambassador for Dior, told CBS, “She’s always had such an innate sense of her own style. Everything she wears, she picks herself.” Meanwhile, Middleton paid a touching tribute to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, with her outfit. She paired her pink dress with a pearl and diamond drop earrings, reportedly a wedding gift from Collingwood jewelers to Diana.

The Duchess of Sussex has also broken royal protocols during the christening of Middleton’s third child, Prince Louis. According to the Daily Express, while other female royals wore outfits within the white and blue color scheme, Markle wore a dark olive green gown. Her unique outfit choice stood out as royal members typically wear neutral colors for such an event. Stylist also reports that she was seen being overly tactile and wrapping her arms around Prince Harry, which is usually strictly avoided in formal pictures.

Coming back to Archie, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also strayed from tradition by keeping the identity of their son’s godparents private. They also chose to deliver Archie at Portland Hospital instead of the traditional St. Mary’s Hospital. Royal expert Robert Lacey told the Daily Mail, “There was the deception over the announcement of Archie's birth, which unlike every other royal birth of modern times took place in total secrecy: Buckingham Palace announced at 2 pm on May 6, 2019, that Meghan had gone into labor that morning - when in fact, she had safely given birth to baby Archie eight hours earlier.” Breaking away from standard royal protocol, the Sussexes allegedly asked the late Queen not to release Archie's baptism certificate publicly.