Royal car door slam goes viral

LONDON First she married Prince Harry. Now she’s rocking Givenchy and shutting car doors by herself. Is there anything Meghan Markle cannot do?

The answer, for many Brits, is “no.”

The Duchess of Sussex embarked on her first solo trip as a royal recently, attending the opening of “Oceania” at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. As Markle arrived at the venue, her car door was opened for her. Seconds later, she was slamming it shut.

All. By. Herself. While news of a woman closing a door in 2018 does not usually ignite global debate, Markle’s small-yetperhaps-rather-large gesture caused quite the stir on social media. Royals generally have someone on hand to open and close doors for them, so Markle’s autonomous move raised eyebrows — and sparked questions.

“Did Markle break protocol?” pondered some. “Is she the first royal to close her own door?” wondered others.

Markle’s door-closing went viral within hours, with footage of the moment circulating on Twitter. While some praised her for her “down to earth” action, others couldn’t resist injecting a dose of typical British humor:

“Breaking News: Meghan Markle shut her car door all by her little ole self yesterday,” tweeted one sarcastic observer. “Gasp.”

“Because I was so inspired by Meghan Markle, as I left the house this morning I shut my own front door,” wrote another.

“A princess who still takes the time to shut her car door. Well done Meghan!” tweeted Emily Andrews, the royal correspondent for the Sun.

For one more-frustrated tweeter, widespread news coverage of Meghan’s doorclosing capability became too much to handle: “The UK is careering off a Brexit cliff edge and that’s deemed newsworthy !!!!!! ”

So, did the duchess break protocol? The answer: No.

“In the royal goldfish bowl, everything is noticed,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Washington Post.

“The phrase ‘royal protocol’ means you mustn’t do selfies and autographs and so on. Yes, there are dos and don’ts, but in this case Meghan was just doing her own thing.

“Meghan is a star in her own right,” Fitzwilliams added, “even before her marriage. She has a mind of her own and does what comes naturally to her. Prince William and Kate, along with Prince Harry and Meghan, are moving the monarchy into the 21st century with small, important changes. Meghan and Harry are inspired by Diana. It’s clear (Meghan) is making an extraordinary impression.”

Markle is not the first royal to shut her own door. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, also has been spotted doing so.