Kate Middleton Just Proved Once Again She and Meghan Markle Are Held to Different Standards When It Comes to Royal Protocol
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visited Battersea Park this week, and the British media took note of a particular piece of jewelry during her outing. Kate was wearing a personalized necklace dedicated to her kids – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. She’s not the first royal to wear personalized jewelry, though. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wore a special necklace when she was dating Prince Harry. But the palace’s reaction to Meghan’s necklace wasn’t the same as their response to Kate. It appears the palace has a double standard when it comes to royal protocol.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cut off the British media after Megxit
There is no doubt that the media circus surrounding the royal family is one of the reasons that Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, made the shocking decision to step down as senior working members.
One of the first things Meghan and Harry did after Megxit was to change their relationship with the media. Not only did they cut off access to the major British tabloids, they also sued publications.
As BuzzFeed points out, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the traditional royal press system of “frequent misreporting.” They have claimed since the beginning of their relationship that they receive unfair and biased coverage.
Harry and Meghan have publicly stated that the UK media has bullied them. They’ve also claimed racist undertones in the media coverage of the bi-racial Duchess of Sussex. And, they say they are held to a different standard than Prince William and Kate.
Kate Middleton gets the praise, Meghan receives the criticism
The royal family has a “royal rota” system that gives seven major outlets access to working royals on a daily basis. As Insider extensively documents, Harry and Meghan’s accusations against the media have a lot of merit.
The press appears to have a double standard for Kate and Meghan. For example, when Kate was expecting Prince Louis in March 2018, The Daily Mail ran a story about Kate placing her hand on her growing baby bump.
“Not long to go!” read the headline. “Pregnant Kate tenderly cradles her baby bump while wrapping up her royal duties ahead of maternity leave.”
In a January 2019 article about Meghan’s pregnancy, the Daily Mail’s headline was, “Why can’t Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump?”
An Express headline after William and Kate’s 2011 wedding praised Kate’s choice of flowers. The article explained the significant meaning behind Kate’s wedding flowers. But after Meghan tied the knot with Harry, the outlet ran the headline, “How Meghan Markle’s flowers may have put Princess Charlotte’s life at risk.”
Kate Middleton’s necklace broke a royal rule that Meghan Markle was scolded for
When Kate visited Battersea Park, cameras caught her wearing a necklace with three gold pendants hanging off. Each pendant had a different letter – G, C, and L – as a tribute to her three children.
As Express notes, this isn’t the first time Kate has worn jewelry dedicated to George, Charlotte, and Louis. In January, she wore another initial necklace with “G, C, and L” engraved on it when she launched her “5 big questions on the under 5s” campaign. She also wore the necklace when she visited Baby Basic UK in Sheffield in August.
It appears that the palace approves of the married mother of three wearing the personalized pieces. But in the book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim the palace had a much different reaction to Meghan wearing an “H and M” necklace while dating Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle says she ‘can’t win’
In late 2016, the British press were very aware that a budding romance was taking place between Harry and Meghan. The couple didn’t confirm the relationship until nearly a year later. But, cameras were following Meghan in Toronto where she lived and worked on the USA legal drama Suits.
When photos emerged of Meghan wearing the “H and M” necklace while shopping, the palace immediately scolded her.
“She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images — and new headlines,” Scobie and Durand report.
The authors say that Meghan said “very little” during the phone call with the palace. But, when she hung up, the call left her feeling “frustrated and emotional.” Despite the palace aide’s “good intentions,” the phone call was a “surreal experience.”
“Having someone from her boyfriend’s office tell her what kind of jewelry to wear or not to smile at a photographer was too much,” an insider claimed.
“I can’t win,” Meghan allegedly told her friend. “They make out like I’m to blame for these pictures that it looks like I’m encouraging them, that even acknowledging the cameras may not be sending the right message.”
