After Princess Elizabeth was visiting Kenya with Prince Philip, she was caught off guard when her father, King George VI, died suddenly. She had to travel sans mourning clothes, and since then, all royals must carry funeral clothes with them on all trips.
“This ensures that when they return to the U.K. they are seen to be in a respectful mood that correlates with the presumable sombre mindset of the nation during that period,” The Independent reports.
Despite the frequent hand-holding and touching we’ve seen from Prince Harry and Markle, P.D.A. is quite rare in the Royal Family. Though there is no official rule that restricts public displays of affection, there is a longstanding tradition that royal couples keep their P.D.A. to a minimum, according to royal etiquette expert, Myka Meier, for People.
That might be why you’ve rarely seen Kate Middleton and Prince William kiss in public since their wedding. Given that Markle and Prince Harry already almost broke this rule when they held hands during their engagement announcement, Meier predicts that this rule will slowly be fizzled out by the couple. “Meghan and Prince Harry holding hands at a royal engagement is a refreshingly modern approach to their new role both as a couple and as representative of the royal family,” Meier said.
Take a look at Markle’s hands in the recent months, and you’ll notice that she’s already started following this rule. According to sources for OK! magazine, Royal Family members are prohibited from wearing dark and colored nail polish, meaning that they stick with skin-tone shades. Both the Queen and Kate Middleton are a fan of Essie’s $9 peachy colors, so we’re predicting Markle will also be a big customer of the brand.