The Real Reason These Meghan Markle Outfits Were Dubbed Inappropriate

Nearly as soon as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started dating, Meghan began making big changes to her wardrobe. As their relationship became more and more serious, her apparel changed too. Now that she and Harry are married and she is officially part of the royal family as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan is subject to lots of scrutiny, especially regarding her appearance. 

Proving she is up for the challenge, Meghan is often clad in non-offensive neutral hues these days. Although it seems she is making obvious efforts to appease the masses, that definitely does not mean she's traded in her personal style for good. Meghan still manages to add her own royal flair, while following most of the rules.

Even with all of the refinements Meghan's already made to her fashion, she's still not exempt from being accused of dressing inappropriately. Here are some examples of what royal traditionalists would consider to be Meghan Markle's most inappropriate outfits.

Meghan Markle took another stab at wearing a black dress in April 2018. This time, she sported an LBD to the Women's Empowerment reception held in London. Of all times to be criticized for an outfit choice, an event celebrating female empowerment is perhaps the most ironic. 

Noting public "outcry," Alexandra Messervy, etiquette expert and chief executive of The English Manner, told InStyle, "Generally it is thought that black is not usually worn unless in mourning." Protocol dictates that Queen Elizabeth and, by extension, all members of the royal family must always take a black ensemble when traveling. The reason for this is a somber one. In the unfortunate event that there is a death within the family, each person must have a mourning outfit ready to go. 

Does this mean black is solely for funerals? Not necessarily, as Princess Diana and now Meghan Markle, have proved. Nevertheless, it didn't stop some folks from crying inappropriate.

Just one month after marrying into the royal family, Meghan Markle attended her first Royal Ascot, an annual five-day horse-racing event. This event also happens to have an incredibly strict dress code with detailed requirements for men, women, and even children. Ladies are required to wear hats, or headpieces with "a solid base of 4 inches or more in diameter," as well as knee-length or longer dresses or skirts and, in some areas of the event, no sleeveless garments.

Meghan played it safe with a monochromatic ensemble. Her collared, long-sleeved white dress by Givenchy and black rimmed Philip Treacy sunhat fit the requirements perfectly. However, there was one important detail missing from her outfit that day. According to Express, the event requires all guests — even royals — to wear a name tag. The only exception to this rule being the Queen of England. 

While Meghan did have her name tag in hand, she opted not to affix it to her lapel, which some could argue took her dress from befitting of a duchess to wildly inappropriate. 

Meghan Markle's low-cut green dress may have incited some opinions, but that wasn't the only time she wore a plunging neckline. You may not have realized, but the dress (seen in full here) she was wearing when spending her first Christmas with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at their Sandringham estate was even lower in the front. 

While walking outside with Harry, Meghan was covered up in a camel-colored trench. Unfortunately for fans and fashionistas alike, only a tiny glimpse of her Christmas attire was actually visible. However, when the brand responsible for the dress, Club Monaco, posted the details of the outfit to their Instagram account (via Express), the "velvet Tay dress" was seen in all it's glory. Express then dubbed the ensemble "sexy" — and, really, they're not wrong. 

While the designer suggested wearing the garment "as a dress for nights out or open over jeans and a turtleneck for days off," it seems Meghan chose the former. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when the queen got a look at this holiday ensemble.

While a tailored pantsuit is trés chic for us normal folks, it's not palace-approved for royals like Meghan Markle. Which is why the Duchess of Sussex committed a royal faux pas when she wore a Givenchy pantsuit on a visit to Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland in the summer of 2018. As reported by Insider, Meghan stepped out in a modern black blazer and matching trousers finished with a crisp white top and smart pumps. She's been known to rock a pantsuit in the past, too. The summer 2018 outfit was especially reminiscent of an Alexander McQueen suit she wore in February of 2018, as per Insider. Meghan's sister-in-law Kate Middleton has also been known to wear pantsuits from time to time. 

However stylish and popular with the royal newcomers pantsuits may be, they're still considered off limits, as per the queen's preferences. According to People, a royal source close to Queen Elizabeth revealed that "the Queen prefers women in dresses or skirts rather than trouser suits."

Poor Meghan Markle can't seem to keep the royal hat rules straight. Before she got in trouble for wearing a hat to Wimbledon in 2018, she got in trouble for not wearing a hat! Per a press release from the Mersey Gateway, Meghan appeared with Queen Elizabeth in their first-ever official engagement together at the ceremony opening the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in June of 2018. The visit appeared to go well, with the pair receiving special greetings by local school children and enjoying a full view of the newly minted bridge.  

But, as reported by the Daily Mail, it wasn't all smiles and waves because Meghan wasn't wearing a hat. "Dress code etiquette states that women wear hats for formal events," Diana Mather, a senior tutor at The English Manner, said in a BBC report. So, even though the duchess looked stunning in a taupe dress, her lack of hat made her outfit a big no-no.

No one can forget that Meghan Markle was a Hollywood celebrity before she was a duchess — even, it seems, Meghan herself. She's certainly held tight to some of her pre-royal fashion preferences, including skinny jeans. She's worn skintight denim quite a few times since becoming a royal. One notable event was the Invictus Games in 2018. As per a report from Town & Country, the duchess wore black skinny jeans, a black turtleneck, and black pumps topped off with a pinstripe blazer. She also wore skinny jeans paired with a navy blue jacket and Manolo Blahnik pumps while watching Prince Harry make a speech at WE Day UK, according to The Zoe Report. 

But skinny jeans are not up to palace dress code, no matter how stylish Meghan looks in her trendy denim. According to Diana Mather of The English Manner etiquette consultancy (per a BBC report), the palace prefers that women wear a skirt or a dress, as "many places will not allow jeans as they are still seen as very casual wear, so it is better to play safe for both sexes."

Meghan Markle's been breaking royal rules from the very beginning. Literally. Her very first public appearance with Prince Harry was seriously trolled because she wore ripped jeans — a big no-no. Markle and Prince Harry attended the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto as an official couple, and, as per StyleCaster, the pair made waves not because of their relationship but because of distressed denim. The then-future-duchess wore casually chic ripped jeans from MOTHER and a timeless white button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves. 

Though her outfit would be considered supremely stylish for anyone else, royal trolls thought she needed to step it up. One Twitter user wrote, "I'm thinking that you shouldn't be wearing ripped jeans while out walking in public with a Prince," while another user commented, "Meghan Markle's first official appearance [with] Prince Harry, all eyes on her — and she wears ripped jeans?" Unfortunately, the trolls might have been in the right. According to a BBC report on royal dress code, it's best for royal women to stay away from jeans in favor or skirts, dresses, or trousers.