Meghan Markle’s Sole Invitation from the Queen: A Series of Calculated Disrespects That Shattered Royal ProtocolIn the meticulously hierarchical world of the British monarchy, where invitations from the Sovereign are among the rarest and most coveted honors, Meghan Markle received precisely one formal summons from Queen Elizabeth II: an invitation to attend the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on November 11, 2018.
This event, steeped in military tradition and national solemnity, was the only occasion on which the late monarch personally extended an invitation to the then Duchess of Sussex. What should have been a defining moment of royal duty instead became a stark demonstration of Meghan’s disregard for protocol, marked by multiple breaches of etiquette that insulted the Queen’s explicit guidance and longstanding conventions.
The invitation to the Cenotaph service represented a significant gesture. Unlike many public engagements attended by working royals, this annual commemoration—where the monarch and senior family members publicly honor Britain’s war dead—is not a casual affair. Participation is carefully calibrated, with invitations reflecting the occupant’s position within the royal order.
For Meghan, who had been married into the family less than a year earlier, the Queen’s decision to include her among the select group of royals on the balcony was an unmistakable sign of attempted integration. Yet, from the moment she appeared in public view, Meghan’s conduct systematically undermined the very traditions the invitation sought to uphold.One of the most conspicuous affronts occurred in Meghan’s decision to appear without a hat, a choice made in direct defiance of explicit royal advice. In the tightly regulated etiquette of royal women attending formal outdoor engagements, particularly those involving the Sovereign, the wearing of a hat is not merely customary but mandatory.
This convention, rooted in centuries of protocol, ensures uniformity and visual cohesion among the female members of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II herself never appeared hatless at such events, and her female relatives—including Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, and Catherine, then Duchess of Cambridge—unfailingly adhered to the practice.Prior to the Cenotaph service, palace insiders and protocol advisors explicitly counseled Meghan to wear a hat, as confirmed by multiple reports from the time.
Instead, she opted for a wide-brimmed black fascinator—a garment more akin to semi-formal millinery than the structured hats required for such occasions. This choice was widely interpreted as a deliberate rejection of established norms. Royal historian Hugo Vickers, commenting shortly after the event, noted that “the Duchess of Sussex chose not to wear a hat, which was expected and indeed requested.”
The visual dissonance was immediate and unmistakable: while every other royal woman on the balcony wore a formal hat, Meghan stood apart in her fascinator, signaling a refusal to conform.Compounding this breach was the visible state of Meghan’s hair, which appeared unwashed, greasy, and disheveled. Photographs from the event capture strands clinging limply to her scalp, a stark contrast to the polished, professionally styled appearances of her counterparts.
Royal protocol demands that female royals present an impeccable, camera-ready appearance at all times, particularly during events of national significance where every detail is scrutinized. The unkempt condition of Meghan’s hair—described contemporaneously by commentators as “greasy” and “messy”—was not a minor oversight but a glaring violation of the standards expected of someone representing the monarchy on a stage of profound historical importance.
Further eroding the decorum of the day were two additional incidents that underscored Meghan’s apparent disregard for the established order. During the procession to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph, Meghan was seen cutting ahead of other royals, including her sister-in-law Catherine and the Countess of Wessex.
Video footage clearly shows her stepping in front of the Duchess of Cambridge, disrupting the carefully prescribed sequence in which royals proceed. This breach of hierarchical positioning—where junior members of the family defer to their seniors—was not an isolated occurrence.
Earlier that morning, during the procession from Horse Guards Parade, Meghan again maneuvered herself ahead of the Countess of Wessex, prompting visible discomfort among onlookers and participants.Perhaps most revealing was the presence of a so-called “fan” positioned conspicuously in the royal enclosure, holding a placard proclaiming Meghan to be the “best royal” and the “future of the monarchy.”
This individual—later revealed to have been deliberately placed—was afforded unprecedented access within the tightly controlled security perimeter, a privilege not extended to supporters of other royals. Reports from palace sources, corroborated by staff accounts, indicate that Meghan’s team actively facilitated the fan’s presence, including providing credentials that ensured her proximity to the royal party.
This orchestrated display of personal adulation stood in jarring contrast to the event’s purpose: a collective act of remembrance devoid of individual promotion. Critics, including royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, described the incident as “highly inappropriate” for a ceremony where “self-promotion has no place.”
These actions—collectively amounting to a pattern of defiance—did not occur in a vacuum. The Cenotaph service represented Meghan’s first and only direct invitation from Queen Elizabeth II, a fact that imbues each transgression with heightened significance.
Subsequent events would see Meghan withdraw from many traditional royal duties, including future Remembrance services, but this singular occasion laid bare a fundamental incompatibility with the monarchy’s unspoken rules. The Queen, known for her unwavering adherence to protocol and her expectation that others follow suit, reportedly viewed the day’s events with dismay.
Private correspondence later revealed through legal proceedings would underscore the depth of the resulting rift, with courtiers noting that the monarch felt “disrespected” by Meghan’s refusal to align with even the most elemental expectations.
The broader implications of Meghan’s conduct during this engagement reverberate through the narrative of her brief tenure as a working royal. Far from establishing her as a seamless addition to the institution, the Cenotaph service crystallized a series of breaches—ranging from the symbolic rejection of a hat to the more overt disruptions of procession and the introduction of personal advocacy into a setting explicitly reserved for national unity.
In an environment where protocol serves as the scaffolding of the monarchy’s endurance, these actions represented not mere lapses in judgment but a deliberate challenge to the Queen’s authority and the traditions she embodied.
Years later, with the Queen’s passing and the Sussexes’ departure from royal life, the events of November 11, 2018, remain a pivotal case study in the collision between individual preference and institutional obligation.
Meghan’s sole invitation from Elizabeth II was met not with gratitude and compliance, but with a cascade of behaviors that prioritized personal expression over collective responsibility.
In doing so, it exposed the fragility of the monarchy’s most fundamental requirement: that its members subordinate themselves to the rituals, hierarchies, and expectations that have preserved the Crown for over a thousand years.
