Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ripping up the royal etiquette rulebook by inviting well-wishers to call them by their first names and NOT bowing during Africa tour, royal expert claims
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry are ripping up the royal etiquette rulebook by asking members of the public to call them by their first names and NOT bowing during their 10-day Africa tour, an expert has claimed.
Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to take a more laid-back approach to their first tour as a family after they were widely criticised for their private jet use this summer.
Speaking to , a source revealed the royal couple want to meet as many South Africans as possible during the tour to "get their popularity back on track".
Although security will remain watertight - especially when baby Archie Harrison is involved - the expert claims Meghan and Harry want to engage with local people in a relaxed manner.
A source said: "It's very much how they want things done. There is no protocol that says you have to bow or curtsy when you meet them, it's really up to the individual."
The publication also reports Meghan and Harry are happy to be addressed by their first names when meeting local people and have already been pictured hugging, dancing and laughing with locals at their first engagement in Cape Town.
However, this laid-back approach has left officials who are scheduled to meet the Duke and Duchess unsure of how to interact with them.
Ahead of her meeting with the couple later this week, Jacky Poking - a secretary of the Bo-Kaap Civic & Ratepayers Association - told the Sunday Times: "We haven't received any official brief on etiquette.
"I think it's because the Sussexes want to keep it informal. I don't even know how to greet them."
That said, the royal expert claims members of the public are encouraged to interact with the couple on a personal level - by using their first names and not bowing - while those attending formal engagements will still address them as "Your Royal Highness".
Earlier this month, a royal expert claimed "modern" Meghan chooses to channel Princess Diana by hugging members of the public while Kate Middleton prefers to mirror Prince William's more formal approach.
Grant Harrold, the former butler to Prince Charles, told that Meghan’s down-to-earth body language is “showing that the British royal family is a modern 21st-century family”.
He added that the former Suits actress is “carrying on Diana's tradition” by getting up close and personal to the public.
Meghan’s forward behaviour is at odds with Kate Middleton, 37, who follows a more traditional approach.
Body language Judi James said: “As a future Queen Kate has always followed royal etiquette to the letter and this would include using the handshake as the norm.”
She advised that Kate prefers to mimic the behaviour of her husband, Prince William, 37, who inherited traits from his father as a future king.
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In more Royal Family news, Meghan looked stylish in a £69 Maya Miko wrap dress and £80 wedges as she kicked off her 10 day royal tour in Cape Town with Harry.
And Meghan wore her pal's £5 vintage earrings to best friend Misha Nonoo's wedding in Rome on Friday.
Plus unseen photos of Meghan on the Suits set have been shared by her on-screen husband Patrick J Adams ahead of the show's final episode.