Meghan Markle Reveals the Stuffy Piece of Royal Protocol She’s Happy to Leave Behind

Per the duchess, it felt ’inauthentic’

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How many episodes of the second season of With Love, Meghan have you watched? It only dropped on Tuesday and already there is quite a bit of royal tea to digest. Still, it was Meghan’s interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang for her “On the Circuit” series that caused the most hubbub. Specifically, a conversation about authenticity—and an aspect of royal protocol that felt anything but.

In the segment, Chang asks Meghan: “Is there an inherent tension in trying to be relatable while also being a duchess?”

Meghan’s response references her royal days: “I’m just being myself,” she says. “Probably, it was different several years ago where I couldn’t be as vocal and I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time. Let’s be honest, that was not very myself,” she laughs. (While not official royal protocol, it has long been reported that the late Queen Elizabeth II preferred female working members of the royal family wear nude tights to events.)

meghan markle pantyhose queen elizabeth
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The Duchess of Sussex continues, “I hadn’t seen pantyhose since movies in the ‘80s when they came in the little egg. That felt a little bit inauthentic.” She clarifies that it’s a “silly example,” but also “an example of being able to dress the way you want to dress and say the things that are true,” something that makes it easier to show up in a space organically and authentically that’s really just being comfortable in your own skin. (“That’s had different chapters in my life,” she adds.)

It’s certainly a nod to her post-royal days, where she is no longer beholden to royal rules while residing in Montecito, California with her husband, Prince Harry, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Of course, at the time, Meghan notably fell in line with the custom—wearing pantyhose to events ranging from King Charles 70th birthday celebration to her first official solo outing by Queen Elizabeth’s side.

Formal protocol or not, Meghan’s pantyhose reveal is certainly an interesting peek into the inner workings of the palace.



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Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

  • Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
  • Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
  • Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College