I’ve recently appointed myself Pedestrian.TV‘s unofficial royal correspondent and it’s a role I’m really relishing. The whole scene is wild, folks – for example, there’s literally hundreds of stuffy old rules that the royal fam has to abide by. And while the ones born into it, like Prince Harry and William, have it drilled into them from day dot, it’s harder for new recruits, like Meghan Markle, to remember what the hell they’re supposed to be doing half the time.
In fact, royal watchers are all in a tizz at the moment because dear sweet Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has made the same terrible faux pas not once, but twice now – first at the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards a fortnight ago and just yesterday at the RAF Centenary ceremony.
It’s a doozy, too. The former Suits star, who tied the knot with Harry in May, has been seen *takes steadying breath* crossing her legs in public.
Meghan Markle spotted crossing her legs again at RAF centenary https://t.co/7n2CAtDjAy pic.twitter.com/CrqAmGce63
— Kristen Neville (@ScornedWomanX) July 10, 2018
I mean, has she never seen The Princess Diaries?
I personally would never do such a thing. I only ever use the “Duchess slant”, obviously, which is the allowed way of sitting and I only ever sit in the most royally accepted way.
Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told People earlier this year that the Duchess slant “is one of the most elegant and flattering ways to sit, because it has a lengthening effect on the legs.”
The key with the technique is to square your shoulders straight ahead while maintaining perfect posture. Keeping knees and ankles together at all times, position your legs so that you create a slant, angling your knees to the side. Hands should be folded one over the other and placed in your lap.
Uh-huh.
Meanwhile, UK tabloids have dubbed the way Meghan has been sitting – with her legs daringly crossed – “the Sussex sit”, with one royal watcher saying on the Royal Family’s official Facebook page: “Duchess of Sussex has her legs crossed wrong. What a disrespect to the queen. All royal ladies cross at the ankles or put both legs off to the side.”
Another commoner-with-an-opinion weighed in: “I’m with you it’s called manners and respect it’s worked very well for thousands of years and not much to ask is it ? hardly strenuous to at least pretend you’re a lady.”
My take? Who cares! But seriously, as long as boss lady The Queen‘s happy, we should all be happy. I think old Liz is probably just relieved Harry’s found himself a nice girl and isn’t off gallivanting around in a Hitler outfit somewhere.
