SO MUCH TO LEARN
Meghan is being put through her paces by palace insiders. Here are some of the things she’s having to get to grips with . . .
THE DUCHESS SLANT
Meghan will be required to emulate the sitting pose perfected by Kate: ankles crossed, knees together, legs titled.
The duchess slant is a term coined by etiquette expert Myka Meier and is perfect for showing off those pins – in the most modest way possible.
THE STOCKINGS STATUTE
Meghan raised eyebrows of etiquette sticklers by stepping out bare-legged in her earlier royal engagements. While The Firm might be willing to bend the rules for the occasional hug for a fan and kiss and cuddle with Harry, apparently the protocol for women’s legs is non-negotiable.
“You never see a royal without their nude stockings,” royal expert Victoria Arbiter says. “Meghan, from what I can see from the engagement photographs, doesn’t look as if she was wearing tights or stockings. I’d say that’s really the only hard, steadfast rule in terms of what the queen requires.”
Dutiful Meghan has since been seen rocking nude tights on her latest outings – although it has been deep dark winter in the northern hemisphere, so she probably doesn’t mind this one too much.
THE IDEAL CURTSY
Meghan didn’t quite nail her first public curtsy on Christmas Day, says Joe Little, editor of Majesty magazine. She kept her head bowed – a strict no-no, apparently.
“Normally, women keep their heads up,” he says.
Unfortunately for Meghan, mastering the ancient art of the curtsy is the easy part – it’s when to bow and scrape that’s awfully complicated. There’s an Order of Precedence that dictates who must bow or curtsy to whom, which the Queen updated when William and Kate tied the knot – and it’s expected Meghan will have to follow the same rules.
This means even once she’s a duchess, Meghan will have to curtsy to everyone senior to her – that includes Kate, and blood princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. But, when Harry is with her, the blood princesses will have to curtsy to Meghan. Kate won’t have to curtsy to Meghan, since William is second-in-line to inherit, and – once her new tot is born – Harry will be sixth.
SELF-DEFENCE
As a royal, Meghan will become a serious kidnap target. Alex Bomberg, a former royal aide and CEO of bodyguard firm Intelligent Protection International, says she’ll undergo intensive military training, and even be “held hostage” in a simulation by the Special Air Service (SAS).
“If you can imagine her being put into a room, being treated as if she’s a hostage, the room being stormed by the SAS – she’ll be put through that training,” he says.
It’s necessary for all senior members of the royal family, even though they have bodyguards on hand whenever they step out the door. “They’d also get training on how to behave without close protection.”
THE WINDSOR WAVE
Royals spend a fair chunk of their lives waving, so there’s a technique to keep fatigue at bay: hands flat, fingers closed, gentle swaying motion. Nothing wild and exuberant.