It takes time to learn to be a royal
there are myriad opportunities to trip up: a bystander asks a question, or even worse, a journalist. What do you reply? As someone who’s accustomed to sharing her thoughts, Meghan may not find it easy to avoid responding fully. She must also consider her wardrobe. Revealing tops are a no-no, as are short skirts and dresses.
The Duchess has expressed an intention to throw herself into the work that comes with being a royal. But first she must do her research.
Every charity to which she gives her patronage must be managed correctly; it must have no skeletons in its closet. And she must consider how much time she can realistically devote to it.
Within the Palace itself, the rules are less strict than you’d imagine. The only member of the family to whom one must always curtsy is the Queen, as the Duke of Sussex will have told his wife previously.
The Duchess has already had a taste of Christmas at Sandringham, and apart from the visits to Balmoral, there are few other non-negotiable fixtures in the family’s annual calendar. But while the Duchess will want to see her mother as well, doing so won’t be straightforward. No longer can she simply hop on a plane; there will need to be all the security in place and the governments in question must be notified.
She might find some of this frustrating, and some in her position have occasionally come a cropper.
It is early days for the Duchess, but so far she’s done well, moving on from her acting to embrace her new role. Challenging as this new life may be, I see no reason why she won’t do even better in the months and the years to come.
As told to Rosa Silverman