Meghan Markle and King Charles Were Unlikely Allies in Hating One Royal Protocol: 'He Thought…'

Meghan Markle may have stepped away from royal life, but King Charles remains bound by its many traditions. The monarch and his daughter-in-law once found themselves in the same boat—both harboring a disdain for a strict royal protocol. According to a Palace insider, Charles and Markle loathed the fact that they were constantly required to report their whereabouts and location to the Palace.

While Markle can be given a pass for disliking royal protocols given her American upbringing, Charles' hatred for them still is unexpected. Royal author Tom Quinn, in his book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, quotes a Palace source who spilled the Duchess' plight in the royal fold. As reported by the Daily Express, the source told Quinn, “The fact, for example, that at Kensington Palace, royals have to announce in advance when they are leaving the Palace and where they are going.” The insider claimed that Markle thought that the rule was 'silly' when, in fact, it is 'absolutely essential.' However, she found an unlikely ally in Charles. The source explained, “I think Charles agreed with Meghan on many points. He thought much of the protocol was silly, but it is hard to change.”

The insider shared that there's a valid reason behind the rule. They said, “This is partly for security but partly also to avoid a situation where a senior royal is upstaged by a more junior royal leaving just when the more important person leaves.” They also revealed that Prince William bought into the protocol, which is why "George and Louis and Charlotte are so conventional and look like something out of the 1950s." However, Markle was not keen on taking it so seriously. They claimed, “Meghan wants something different from this for her children. She wants American freedom to do and say what you like and go where you like.”

While the Duchess of Sussex has never addressed the particular protocol, she has alluded to feeling suffocated by royal rules in general. In her infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey, she revealed how frustrating it was to have her life micro-managed by royal customs. As reported by Business Insider, she said in the interview, “I mean, you have to understand as well, when I joined that family, that was the last time, until we came here, that I saw my passport, my driver's license, my keys. All that gets turned over.” When Winfrey asked her if she considered checking herself in a mental health facility, she replied, “I couldn't, you know, call an Uber to the Palace.”

Charles has also shunned certain royal protocols. Like his daughter-in-law, Markle, he is reportedly tactile and a ‘big hugger.’ According to Tatler, it’s generally against protocol for royals to embrace one another—let alone the public. However, the King has embraced a player from the New Zealand women’s rugby team in public and also broke protocol by hugging an 11-year-old boy during his visit to Romania.