With all eyes on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's
upcoming nuptials, it's pretty easy to forget
about all the things that will take place
after the big day.
Marrying into British royalty is a bit different
than becoming a Disney princess.
By that we mean there are rules.
Here are some things that Markle will be barred
from doing after she says "I do" at St. George's
Chapel in the spring of 2018.
No more autographs
As an actress, Meghan Markle has likely signed
her fair share of autographs.
As a soon-to-be royal, however, those days
are now behind her.
The reason for this is understandable: royals
are prohibited from signing autographs due
to the risk of signature forgery, as explained
by Express.
But, what fun are rules if you can't break
them — or at least bend them — from time
to time?
When asked to sign autographs, Prince Charles
usually defaults to an apology and tells the
public he is unable to do so, according to
The Telegraph.
Be that as it may, when visiting Cornwall
after major flooding, a man whose home had
been badly damaged asked for his John Hancock.
Charles, feeling moved, obliged by writing
"Charles 2010."
Markle did something similar in January of
2018 for a 10-year-old fan.
According to Time, instead of signing her
name on the paper provided, Markle simply
wrote "Hi Kaitlin."
Voting is out
Meghan Markle is far from apolitical — she's
been vocal about a number of issues over the
years, and has a history of activism.
Robert Lacey, a historian and biographer of
Queen Elizabeth told The Guardian this might
be an issue,
"I can see that this is going to be a real
problem in the months and years ahead for
her, an existential problem.
I don't imagine the Queen will be in a rush
to have Meghan at the royal family's vacation
house in Scotland when Trump visits."
This poses a bit of a conundrum for Markle
as a soon-to-be member of the royal family
because they are expected to stay mum regarding
politics — including their thoughts on specific
politicians.
Per the official website of the British royal
family, the Queen must "remain strictly neutral
with respect to political matters."
This includes voting in elections.
Although the Queen is the only one explicitly
prohibited from politics, members of the royal
family abide by the same policy.
No bare legs for Meg
When pictures surfaced of Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle announcing their engagement,
your eyes may have fixated on the ring immediately.
But Markle's legs were what actually stole
the show that day.
Specifically, her bare legs.
Royal expert Victoria Arbiter explained the
situation to Business Insider, saying,
"You never see a royal without their nude
stockings.
I would say that's really the only hard, steadfast
rule in terms of what the Queen requires."
It could be that Markle didn't know the pantyhose
policy at that time, as she now appears to
abide by the Queen's preference, at least
at royal events.
New bedtime
In an interview for the book The Royals in
Australia, the Queen's private secretary told
of Princess Diana's agony while sitting through
long royal dinners.
He explained,
"There'd be an hour or so in the sitting room
of everyone sitting around making conversation,
and nobody felt it right to go to bed before
the Queen did."
Eventually, Diana got so sick of the pomp
and circumstance that she'd excuse herself
and go to bed anyway, despite it being considered
bad form.
If Markle is looking to stay in Queen Elizabeth's
good graces, she probably shouldn't follow
in Diana's footsteps.
No more acting
When someone marries into a royal family,
their careers don't often come with them.
Grace Kelly, who was an actor prior to marrying
Prince Rainier III of Monaco, left her Hollywood
career behind.
Markle has decided to follow suit — by quitting
USA's Suits after seven years.
"I don't see it as giving anything up.
I just see it as a change.
it's a new challenge, It's a new chapter."
"Whatever we have to tackle together or individually
will always be us together as a team."
Her final role may just be a one-off: as a
royal bride at the much-anticipated and widely
televised royal wedding.
Traveling solo is a no-go
Meghan Markle's days of being able to travel
solo are already becoming a thing of the past.
According to Express, the royal-to-be was
issued royal protection officers in the wake
of her engagement to Harry.
According to royal expert Gordon Rayner, royal
tours around the globe may look effortless
to an outsider, but they can actually take
six months to plan.
He added that their site visits are hardly
ever longer than 40 minutes at a time and
they likely will not travel to that same location
again.
Thankfully, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
will at least get a real honeymoon.
Well, as real as you can get when you need
to be guarded 24/7.
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