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\nWhen you\u2019re a member of the royal family, you can never have a day off. You\u2019re under constant scrutiny from the media with the press just waiting for you to screw up. Those born into the royal bloodline have had to deal with this from day one, so they\u2019ve grown up knowing how to act when the cameras are out. However, even though they\u2019ve had the rules and protocols drilled into them from a young age, that doesn\u2019t stop them from being disobedient every now and again.
\nNow that Meghan Markle has been added into the mix, she must learn all of these crazy rules from scratch. If it’s hard for even people like Prince William and Prince Harry to follow the rules, it would stand to reason that it would be even harder for Meghan. At the end of the day, we’re all human – but let’s just say that there are times where people have been surprised by the Royal rulebreaking.
\n[post_page_title]Following the rules[\/post_page_title]
\nHow often do you see the royals acting out of line? Not very because they know the world is always watching.
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\nThese people might be living a life of luxury, but there are hundreds of rules and protocols in place to ensure they behave accordingly in front of the public. It\u2019s not such an easy job being in the royal family. Of course, no one person can act appropriately every day of their lives. Sometimes you need to break free and do what you want, just like William and Harry.
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\n[post_page_title]The favorite royals[\/post_page_title]
\nThere are few people in the world more beloved than William and Harry. Millions have watched the young princes grow up, get an education, and eventually marry their sweethearts.
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\nThe duo has helped bring the royal family into the 21st Century, but that hasn\u2019t come without its share of rule breaking. You can\u2019t make something progressive without first defying the traditions of old. While William and Harry don\u2019t usually act out of line, there have been times when they\u2019ve gone against protocol and left the world in shock.
\n[post_page_title]Birthday celebrations[\/post_page_title]
\nThe pair went against protocol as recently as November 2018 during celebrations for their father\u2019s 70th birthday. Although an event had already been held for Prince Charles\u2019 landmark birthday several months earlier, this is the Royal Family we\u2019re talking about.
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\nYou can never have too many parties celebrating the same thing. The future king\u2019s relatives were all expected to meet at Buckingham Palace for the function, but trouble was already brewing before the event had even started. It was all because of his two children and their wives.
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\n[post_page_title]Breaking protocol[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile the couples were en route to their father\u2019s big event, the paparazzi caught them behind the wheels of their cars. At a glance, it might seem like there was nothing wrong with the images the press had gotten hold of.
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\nHowever, there was a clear problem staring everyone in the face. By driving Meghan and Kate to Buckingham Palace, the brothers had broken royal protocol. The pair weren\u2019t supposed to be driving themselves to an event like this – that\u2019s what chauffeurs were meant for.
\n[post_page_title]Designated driver[\/post_page_title]
\nBeing the designated driver wasn\u2019t much of an issue for Prince Harry who had no plans to drink at his father\u2019s birthday bash. He was showing a sign of solidarity with his wife who was several months pregnant with their child.
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\nShe couldn\u2019t have any drinks at the party, and the last thing Harry wanted to do was rub that in her face. However, just because he was sober enough to ferry him and his wife to and from Buckingham Palace, that doesn\u2019t explain why he broke protocol to do it.
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\n[post_page_title]Time-honored traditions[\/post_page_title]
\nRules like this are in place for a reason. They\u2019ve been established for years, to the point that most of them are now considered tradition.
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\nWhile it might be expected for some of these to be broken as times change, it\u2019s still a surprise to see a royal openly go against protocols. What\u2019s even more stunning is the fact that it was a member of the bloodline who broke the rules as opposed to their spouses. William and Harry were fully aware of what they were doing, yet they did it anyway.
\n[post_page_title]Done it before[\/post_page_title]
\nAmazingly, this isn\u2019t the first time that either brother decided to shun this protocol and sit behind the wheel of a car. Back in May 2018 when Harry tied the knot with Meghan, the Prince was spotted in the driver\u2019s seat of a Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero.
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\nHe had no qualms as he and his wife waved to well-wishers en route to their reception at Frogmore House – the couple\u2019s future home. From the outside, it looked like the newlywed didn\u2019t even know he was defying royal protocols.
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\n[post_page_title]Learning nothing[\/post_page_title]
\nHarry isn\u2019t the only one who celebrated his nuptials by breaking his family\u2019s traditions. After William and Kate walked down the aisle in 2011, they did precisely the same thing on the way to their reception.
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\nWilliam sat behind the wheel of his father\u2019s Aston Martin DB6 MKII as he cruised towards Clarence House for the celebrations. It seems that even though he\u2019d had seven years to reflect on the rules he\u2019d broken, the royal hadn\u2019t learned his lesson. He didn\u2019t hesitate to do it all over again in November.
\n[post_page_title]Giving an excuse[\/post_page_title]
\nWhen it emerged what both royals had done, the media immediately called out the pair for going against established protocols. There were expectations that the duo would be escorted to their father\u2019s celebrations, but instead, they decided to do things their own way.
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\nHowever, it seems that the princes had their reasons for being so disobedient. According to William Hanson, who\u2019s an expert on royal etiquette, the pair decided to sit in the driver\u2019s seat because of the type of event they were attending.
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\n[post_page_title]Doing it for him[\/post_page_title]
\nHanson says that William and Harry like to use driving as a way to differentiate between whether they\u2019re going to a private event or a royal one. Things like their father\u2019s birthday aren\u2019t an obligation that they have to attend – they go because they want to.
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\nTheir presence at the celebrations is connected to the relationship they have with the host, rather than because of who they are as a royal. With that in mind, the brothers wanted to put in more of an effort by actually driving to the event.
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\n[post_page_title]Avoiding the commotion[\/post_page_title]
\nThat\u2019s not the only reason why William and Harry reportedly went against royal protocol. Hanson believes that the couples also wanted to avoid creating such a buzz around the celebrations by driving themselves instead of being chauffeured.
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\nThey didn\u2019t wish for their arrival to be such a big deal because the party wasn\u2019t one of their work engagements. However, they didn\u2019t realize how people would react when they discovered Harry and William in the driver\u2019s seat. They didn\u2019t take into account the public\u2019s interest in following the rules.
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\n[post_page_title]Runs in the family[\/post_page_title]
\nOf course, the Princes are far from the only Royal family members to sit in the driver\u2019s seat. In late 2017, William and Harry\u2019s aunt – Sophie, Countess of Wessex – was seen driving her daughter to the Queen\u2019s Christmas dinner.
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\nGiven her husband stands at 11th in the line of succession, concern about the Countess breaking the rules wasn\u2019t quite as significant. However, that didn\u2019t stop her getting talked about. Even the Queen has sat behind the wheel of a car before – and she doesn\u2019t have a driver\u2019s license!
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\n[post_page_title]A common occurrence[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough it\u2019s shocking to see William and Harry go against protocols, rule breaking in the Royal Family is surprisingly common. They\u2019ve established so many traditions over the years that it\u2019s hard not to mess up some of them, whether intentional or not.
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\nTalk of breaking protocol has been more prominent than ever after Harry and Meghan announced their engagement, with all eyes firmly on the prince\u2019s spouse. She\u2019s not what you\u2019d usually expect from a royal bride, and you can\u2019t deny that she\u2019s had her fair share of slip-ups.
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\n[post_page_title]Off to a bad start[\/post_page_title]
\nThere were already issues with Meghan defying protocols before she\u2019d even done anything. Not only was she the first American to marry into the Royal Family, but she was also a divorc\u00e9e.
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\nBefore Harry, the Duchess of Sussex had tied the knot with director and producer Trevor Engelson. Their union had been relatively brief, with the pair divorcing after just two years. However, it doesn\u2019t matter how long it was. Before Meghan, it was strictly prohibited for a royal to marry someone that had been down that road once before.
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\n[post_page_title]A special invitation[\/post_page_title]
\nDespite going against royal expectations, Meghan was still welcomed by her new family. The queen took a liking to the woman and was willing to overlook her chequered romantic history.
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\nShe warmed to Harry\u2019s fianc\u00e9 so much that she even invited her to Christmas dinner before the pair had walked down the aisle. That might not seem like a big deal, but it was to the Royals. That kind of invitation is usually restricted to married partners only. Even Kate had to wait to be William\u2019s wife before going round for Christmas.
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\n[post_page_title]Wearing something risqu\u00e9[\/post_page_title]
\nYou might think that once Harry and Meghan were married, she\u2019d have learned to stop breaking protocol. However, less than a month after making things official, Meghan caused a stir once again by wearing something against the rules.
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\nFor the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, the Duchess of Sussex was pictured in a Carolina Herrera off-the-shoulder dress that got the public talking. While it was a beautiful outfit, it defied an unspoken protocol about showing too much skin. With her arms and shoulders on show, it was quite a scandalous affair.
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\n[post_page_title]Put a ring on it[\/post_page_title]
\nIt seems that the combination of Meghan and Harry is one that the royal\u2019s ancestors wouldn\u2019t approve of. The rate at which these two break rules is astounding, and they show no sign of slowing down.
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\nIt appears that the pair went against protocol once again when they tied the knot. However, it\u2019s Harry that was to blame. It\u2019s expected for the men in a royal marriage not to wear a wedding band once they tie the knot. However, the prince defied that rule, choosing to wear a ring like his wife.
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\n[post_page_title]Closing her own door[\/post_page_title]
\nA few months later, Meghan caused a stir yet again, though this time it was in the most unexpected way. Social media went into meltdown when the Duchess of Sussex was filmed closing the door of a car.
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\nIt\u2019s something most of us do without thought, but it\u2019s apparently frowned upon for a royal to go to so much trouble. The action divided people online, with a lot of them asking if royal protocols had gone too far. All she did was close a door – it\u2019s not a big deal, is it?
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\n[post_page_title]Raising their kids[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s not just Harry and Meghan that seem to enjoy breaking the rules, though. William and Kate are just as rebellious, with the royal couple happily going against many traditions as they enjoy their lives together.
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\nOne way they\u2019ve shunned protocols is in the raising of their children. Unlike their ancestors, the couple has taken a very hands-on approach to parenthood. Though they do have a nanny to help out, they\u2019ve been a more significant presence in their kids\u2019 lives than royals used to be with their children.
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\n[post_page_title]Living a normal life[\/post_page_title]
\nThe reason that William and Kate do this is that they want their kids to live as normal a life as possible. Growing up in the Royal Family can make you feel detached from reality, and the couple doesn\u2019t want that for their children.
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\nThat\u2019s why they chose the schools that they did for George. Rather than sticking with protocol, they made their own choices which they figured would benefit him most. The parents even picked him up from school rather than leaving the job to one of their staff.
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\n[post_page_title]Two steps forward[\/post_page_title]
\nAs much as royal protocols are in place to keep everyone in line, they\u2019re not as rigid as everyone assumes. While certain things shouldn\u2019t ever be crossed, some rules are there to be broken.
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\nThe new wave of royals can\u2019t expect to live in the 21st century if they don\u2019t make changes where they feel necessary. A couple of princes driving themselves to a party is hardly the end of the world, and it\u2019s a sign that William and Harry are making steps in the right direction.
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\n[post_page_title]Driving laws[\/post_page_title]
\nIt’s actually quite funny that people made such a big deal about William and Harry driving themselves and their wives to this event – and any others – because this is in fact a royal protocol.
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\nOn the other hand, there is one particular Royal Family member who breaks this rule, like all the time. In fact, the leader of the family is the one we’re talking about. That’s right, when we said the Queen drives herself, we didn’t mean sometimes. Elizabeth II drives a lot, actually.
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\n[post_page_title]Rules don’t apply to the Queen[\/post_page_title]
\nSince she is the Queen, perhaps the rules just don’t apply to her – either that or she just doesn’t care because, well, she’s the Queen, after all.
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\nQueen Elizabeth has been seen driving around her various estates, to\/from horse shows, and to\/from church on multiple occasions. Of course, Her Majesty has her security guard in the passenger seat with her because it’s probably not a good idea for her to go out alone.
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\n[post_page_title]Who needs a license anyway?[\/post_page_title]
\nAs we mentioned, the Queen doesn’t even have a driving license. It turns out she doesn’t need one. Elizabeth is the only person in the U.K. who is not required to have a license in order to drive.
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\nIt’s ironic because all of the licenses are actually issued in her name, yet she doesn’t even have one. Now before you go getting all worried thinking that this is dangerous, let’s just explain to you that even without a license, she’s probably a better driver than most of us.
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\n[post_page_title]A skilled driver[\/post_page_title]
\nFor those of you that don’t know, Queen Elizabeth II served in The Second World War. This makes her not only the only female member of the British Royal Family to have been in the military, but also the only head of state to have served in WWII.
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\nWhat did she do, you may ask? She was in the Women\u2019s Auxiliary Territorial Service and she learned how to drive every car she worked on, including trucks and ambulances. Reasons she doesn’t need a chauffeur: she’s skilled enough as a driver.
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\n[post_page_title]Rules that can’t be broken[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile we’ve been talking a lot about breaking rules, there are a few royal protocols that shouldn’t be broken. One of them is that hats must be worn at all official or royal functions and events.
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\nThis is a biggie that is not meant to be broken. While it seems a little silly, this rule has allowed for some of the best hats ever worn to top the heads of the Royal Family. We can’t even imagine the hat collection these women have.
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\n[post_page_title]Rules that are meant to be broken[\/post_page_title]
\nAnother big rule that royals are supposed to follow is not showing too much public displays of affection. This rule, however, is broken constantly by members of the family, particularly the younger generation.
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\nEven the late Princess Diana was known to smack a few kisses on her husband back in the day. Kate and William have also been spotted showing a bit of love out in public. The two who win the award for most PDA moments has to be Meghan and Harry, though.
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\n[post_page_title]Kate is a rule breaker[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile Meghan has been known to expose a bit too much skin, Kate is typically the one who dresses more modestly.
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\nThis doesn’t mean, however, that she too hasn’t been seen out and about in what the Royals would consider risque outfits. The Duchess of Cambridge has walked out in dresses that exposed her knees; gasp! She has also worn heels that were deemed “too high” by royal guidelines. These may seem like small things, but when you’re a royal woman, people freak out if they see your knees.
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\n[post_page_title]William the rebel[\/post_page_title]
\nThe women of the the British Royal Family are not the only ones known to break a few rules, hence the infamous driving scandals. William, however, is usually pretty good about following protocol.
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\nThat being said, even he has stepped away from tradition a few times. One was when he asked his brother to be his best man – this is usually not allowed at royal weddings. Another guideline he doesn’t follow is when he and his family all travel together. Typically, there can’t be multiple royals traveling in one plane.
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\n[post_page_title]Meghan the politician[\/post_page_title]
\nMeghan has broken down all barriers when it comes to being a royal. She is quickly becoming the next modern day “people’s princess”.
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\nThe Duchess of Sussex did raise royal eyebrows, though, when she brought in her political opinion to a conversation. Royals are not allowed to share their opinion on such matters, but Meghan Markle is new to this. She is a known feminist and showed her support for both the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns, which was a big no no.
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\n[post_page_title]Harry the hugger[\/post_page_title]
\nAs much as we all probably want to give Harry a hug and take a selfie with him, such things are just not allowed. Perhaps, however, you’ll be one of the lucky ones he chooses to break the rules for.
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\nThat’s right; our favorite red-headed prince has definitely hugged a few fans over the years. He has also taken selfies and pictures with multiple different people. His grandmother probably wasn’t happy, but we’re sure this young girl’s life was made this day.
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\n[post_page_title]Taking fashion risks[\/post_page_title]
\nWhen it comes to taking liberties as far as fashion goes in the Royal family, someone that will always be remembered for that was Princess Diana – and we mean that in a good way.
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\nAs you can see in this picture, she absolutely radiated in this short skin tight black dress, and looked like she could\u2019ve been a movie star on a red carpet. It goes without saying that this type of dress was certainly not allowed for a Royal to wear.
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\n[post_page_title]Meghan too[\/post_page_title]
\nAs long as we\u2019re on the topic of a Royal dressing in revealing clothing, we might as well bring up the lovely Meghan Markle.
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\nThis picture was taken during the period where Megan and Harry were dating, and folks were wondering if she would be able to uphold to the dress code standards of a proper Royal lady. As we\u2019ve seen so far, she has, but that doesn\u2019t mean she doesn\u2019t have a history of dressing quite differently.
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\n[post_page_title]Nice to meet you[\/post_page_title]
\nSometimes breaking the fashion rules don\u2019t have anything to do with how much skin you\u2019re revealing. Sometimes it has to do with the accessories that you\u2019re holding – or should we say not holding.
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\nIndeed, it\u2019s Royal protocol for the women to hold their purses in their hands, so has to not encourage handshakes. But as you can see, Meghan once wore a cross-body bag, leaving her hands free for anyone to grab if they so desired.
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\n[post_page_title]Hand holding no no[\/post_page_title]
\nSpeaking of hands\u2026 here\u2019s another thing that Meghan and Harry did that is supposedly against the rules in the Royal world. They were seen together with their hands held in public.
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\nIt sounds crazy that people might actually care about something like that, but it is true indeed. But what makes it even crazier is that this was actually the first time they were seen in public! Don\u2019t get us wrong, we endorse it – but it certainly surprised some people.
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\n[post_page_title]Can I have an autograph?[\/post_page_title]
\nAnother thing that is prohibited in Royal culture is signing autographs. The reason behind it is that they want to prevent fraud – which makes a lot of sense if you think about it.
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\nHowever, there have been Royals in the past who have broken this time old tradition – and one of them was Meghan Markle. This picture was taken in Wales, and as you can see, Meghan couldn\u2019t help but sign a John Hancock for a fan.
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\n[post_page_title]Traveling with kids[\/post_page_title]
\nApparently it\u2019s also against the rules for the Royal parents to travel with their children.
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\nWe\u2019re not sure why this rule exists, but there are a lot of ancient rules that encourage parents to be separated from their children. Considering the fact that Prince William sometimes travels with his kids, he is in essence breaking the rules. However, it seems like this is one rule we can totally understand why he\u2019d want to break. After all, it is his son.
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\n[post_page_title]Raising them her way[\/post_page_title]
\nMaybe the reason that Prince William is so progressive as far as spending more like with his kids is because his mother was the same way.
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\nIndeed, Princess Diana was intent on raising her children in the way that she saw fit. She wanted them to have as normal a life as possible, going to nursery, going to water parks (as you can see), wearing casual clothing, and the the works. Something tells us Prince Harry will be the same wonderful way to his kids.
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\n[post_page_title]Prince Charles the Empathetic[\/post_page_title]
\nIf you weren\u2019t one of those people who watched the feed of the Royal wedding, you were certainly in the minority. If you had, you would\u2019ve a number of things that have never been done before.
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\nFor instance, it was Prince Charles who walked Meghan down the aisle, instead of her father, Thomas Markle. Thomas had backed out of the ceremony, and Prince Charles was kind enough to be there for his new daughter in law on this special day.
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\n[post_page_title]Heartfelt speech[\/post_page_title]
\nAnother rule that was broken on the day of the wedding was Meghan giving a speech at her wedding reception.
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\nIt seems crazy that a bride wouldn\u2019t be allowed to give a speech at her own wedding, but this was indeed the protocol. Meghan, however, was obviously so overcome with happiness and emotion that she couldn\u2019t bear to not tell her new family how she felt. She simply had to tell her new Royal family how grateful she was about everything.
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\n[post_page_title]Delivery room rebels[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s time to now take you way back in time as we discuss another thing that Queen Elizabeth did to break the rules.
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\nShe truly was a rebel, and we love for it. Apparently she was the first Royal mother to ever permit her husband to be there in the delivery room while she was having a baby. While she was having Prince Edward, she wanted her husband Philip to be there because she felt it to be very important for her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re a member of the royal family, you can never have a day off. You\u2019re under constant scrutiny from the media with the press just waiting for you to screw up. Those born into the royal bloodline have had to deal with this from day one, so they\u2019ve grown up knowing how to act […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":74756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n