The Royal Rules Meghan Markle And Prince Harry No Longer Have To Follow

Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no longer senior royals, their lives are going to be a lot different. There are a lot of things the couple will no longer be able to do, like carry out official royal duties or receive funding through the Sovereign Grant.

Stepping back from the royal family is certainly going to make things harder, in many ways, for Markle and Prince Harry, but in others, their lives will become refreshingly simpler. Since they won't be officially working for the Crown, they'll no longer have to follow many of the rules that govern the lives of royals in the public eye, like the royal dress code.

While Markle has always been something of a rule breaker, being free from some of the restricting ways of royal life will no doubt come as a relief. The couple will now, for example, be able to get more personal with their fans. Even something as simple as a hug with a member of the public is frowned upon among the royals, especially because of the security risk involved. "As well as an etiquette rule, it poses a major security risk if someone is able to get so close that they are able to touch members of the Royal Family," royal etiquette expert Grant Harrold told Insider.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have broken this rule before, but now they'll be able to do so with far less scrutiny. According to another Insider piece, they'll also be able to sign autographs, engage in PDA, and dress more casually.

Another thing Markle and Prince Harry will be able to do is speak more freely. Markle shocked the world last year when she opened up about her struggles since joining the royal family in an ITV documentary. "I tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip," she said (via Insider). "I tried. I tried. But I think what that does internally is probably really damaging."

Traditionally, the royal family has followed the queen's example of "never complain, never explain." Now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are no longer senior royals, it's likely that we will see them expressing more emotions as Markle did in the documentary, rather than presenting a stoic face for the public.