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Meghan Markle “Broke” This Royal Rule The Queen Is Reportedly A Stickler On

by Brianna Wiest

Meghan Markle: Duchess, yogi, actress, mom-to-be... and royal rebel. Though the newly minted royal has been a shaking up the family since she first started dating Prince Harry two years ago (she is, after all, the very first mixed race, divorcée with a wildly successful career to join the family) it seems she isn't done leaving her mark. Most recently, Meghan Markle "broke" this royal rule the Queen is reportedly a but of a stickler on, and TBH, it's kind of refreshing.

Though it's obviously not advised to willfully do something you know your in-laws will disprove of — especially when, you know, your in-laws are the royal family — this breech of protocol was pretty innocuous. During a surprise visit to Glamour's British Fashion Awards, as Refinery 29 reported, Markle made a fashion statement all her own, opting for a dark, oxblood colored nail.

For those who follow the family closely, you'll know that the Queen disproves of colored nail polish altogether, according to Vanity Fair. In fact, royal women are expected to keep their hands groomed, but only polished with nude or light shades. According to StyleCaster, Kate Middleton's go-to shade is Allure, which is a nude color from Essie, and that the Queen has been wearing the brand's Ballet Slippers shade for many decades.

This is far from the first time Markle has made headlines for breaking royal fashion rules... many of which, we've come to find, are more like guidelines than enforced regulations.

For example, Markle has often been called out for not wearing nude tights when she wears dresses or skirts, which has often considered to be a royal expectation. However, as Harper's Bazaar pointed out, she's not technically required to wear them. "There are no rules for royal women regarding pantyhose. While most women (royal or commoner) wear pantyhouse with suits or gowns for a good slim line, it is not required by any decree from the Queen," royal expert and Royal Musings blog founder Marlene Koenig told the magazine.

There are other issues that Markle has breached, too, some more serious than tights and nail polish.

For example, according to History, the royal family used to "forbid marriage after divorce," which, of course, Markle broke when she married Prince Harry. “Historically the Church of England’s position was that divorce was okay, but remarriage was not,” Arianne Chernock, an associate professor of history at Boston University, told the outlet. Ultimately, she explained, it had to do with religion, about which the family is pretty stern. (Markle had to be baptized into their church prior to her wedding, CNN reported in March.)

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Lastly, Markle made another unprecedented move when she graced the cover of Vanity Fair as Prince Harry's girlfriend at the time. It's something that royal women don't ever really do (think about it: when have you ever seen Kate Middleton posing for the cover of a magazine that isn't a tabloid she was photographed for at an event, or in public? Never — that's when) but Markle doesn't seem too concerned about the issue.

At the time, she told the magazine of her and Prince Harry's relationship:

We’re two people who are really happy and in love. We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people’s perception. Nothing about me changed. I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship.

Ultimately, it's clear that Markle has indeed stayed true to herself — dark nails and all — and that's a royal refresher if there ever was one.

After experiencing a traumatic c-section, this mother sought out a doula to support her through her second child’s delivery. Watch as that doula helps this mom reclaim the birth she felt robbed of with her first child, in Episode Three of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below. Visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes, launching Mondays in December.