Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, caused a stir among netizens recently when she opted to close her car door herself, with some pointing out that it’s not in line with protocol.
Markle attended the opening of an exhibition titled “Oceania” at the Royal Academy of Arts in London on Tuesday, Sept. 25. This was Markle’s first solo event since becoming a part of the British royal family.
The royal stepped out her car, having her door opened for her, and was welcomed by Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Sir Kenneth Olisa. After shaking his hand, Markle then closed the door by herself.
While what she did may seem like what any other person would do, her actions became a hot topic on social media as Markle apparently broke royal protocol.
“Usually, if you are a member of the royal family or a dignitary, you have a member of staff to open and close a car door for you,” etiquette expert William Hanson said in an interview with Radio 1 Newsbeat via the BBC.
“First time I’ve seen an on-duty princess shut her own car door,” journalist Christopher Wilson reacted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Mark Withers (@MarkWithers) made a joke out of the attention Markle was getting for what she did: “What is the world coming to??”
Meghan closed her own door! What is the world coming to??
— MW (@markwithers) September 26, 2018
Still, one YouTube vlogger, Julia Guarin (@JuliaGuarinn), thought it was “totally cool” of Markle to do things by herself, despite the attention.
https://twitter.com/juliaguarinn/status/1044777930352726017
“Everyone is freaking out because Meghan Markle closed her own door,” the girl said. “Good thing she has arms and is able to close the door!!!” JB
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