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When Meghan Markle Has Sleepovers With The Queen, She Reportedly Has To Follow This Rule

by Casey Suglia

When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in May, she likely had an idea of how her life would change when she became a royal. The former Suits star had to give up her acting career to devote herself to being a full-time member of the royal family, which entails spending a lot of time with Queen Elizabeth II. And when someone spends that much time with the queen, there are obviously some rules and customs to follow. So, of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise that when Meghan Markle has sleepovers with the queen, for example, she reportedly has to follow a very specific rule. After all, we're talking about slumber parties with the queen.

Although some people might find having a sleepover with their husband's grandmother just a bit strange, the queen isn't like any other grandmother. But, when Markle does have a sleepover at the queen — which has happened already, for the record — she abide by this specific, yet not entirely surprising protocol. According to Fox News, when it comes time for bed, Markle reportedly has to wait for the queen to go to bed, and then she can hit the hay herself.

In the book, The Royals In Australia, one of the queen's private secretaries, Sir William Heseltine, revealed that it was "bad form" to go to bed before the queen, according to Fox News, saying in the book that "nobody felt it was right to go to bed before the queen did."

Although it isn't exactly clear exactly what time the queen goes to bed, according to Little Things, it might be hard for some people to stay up and hang out with the queen when all they want to do is go to sleep. But, this is to be expected since the queen reportedly follows a very strict schedule, according to The Daily Beast. When dining with the queen, dinner is held at 8:30 p.m. and must be finished by 10 p.m.

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But, it is likely that Markle is already very familiar with this "rule." Markle and Prince Harry have already had a sleepover with the queen, when they stayed at her residence in Sandringham this past Christmas, according to Express, and Markle has already made many public appearances with the queen since getting married, according to CNN.

As for the queen's bedtime routine when she isn't entertaining guests, it is actually quite normal. The queen reportedly watches TV before going to bed to help her wind down, according to The Crown Chronicles, and is reportedly a big fan of the show, Downton Abbey. As for her nighttime snack? The queen reportedly enjoys a glass of champagne, which she drinks before going to sleep according to Vanity Fair. I mean, who wouldn't want to chill with the queen before she goes to bed when Netflix and champagne are part of the routine? That sounds like a more than ideal night to me.

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But this reported "rule" is just another one of the very many rules that Markle has to follow as a member of the royal family. These rules span from the bizarre — like not being allowed to take selfies, according to E! News — to particular rules about what she can and cannot wear, according to Reader's Digest. And although Markle has been doing a great job at being a member of the royal family since getting married to Prince Harry, she also has reportedly broken quite a few rules too, according to Fashion.

But, out of all of the royal rules to follow, going to bed after the queen or when the queen says so seems pretty easy to adjust to.