The Meghan Markle Outfits That Absolutely Scandalized The Royals

Actress Meghan Markle had some work to do once she suddenly found herself engaged to a real-life prince. While she immediately found herself taking etiquette classes and learning the proper way to curtsy, she also had to familiarize herself with the long list of royal fashion don'ts. And trust us, that list is quite extensive. Think: a strict workplace dress code — but for royals. 

And even after all of the coaching money can buy, the new royal still found herself committing a few royal faux pas here and there. Luckily, Meghan's not the first or the last to be caught wearing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Even her sister-in-law, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, have been guilty of committing some royal fashion crimes. So what are the royal fashion rules that Meghan broke? And how did Her Royal Highness react to Meghan's missteps? Keep reading after the jump to find out!

While denim isn't necessarily a no-no for the royals if worn in a more casual setting, sporting ripped denim is definitely what one would consider "pushing the envelope" — especially when your name is Meghan Markle and you're dating Prince Harry. Alas, that's exactly what she did, as reported by Us Magazine. 

Diane Mather, a senior tutor at The English Manner etiquette consultancy group, told BBC that while denim is not forbid outright, "Many places will not allow jeans as they are still seen as very casual wear." Simply put: "It is better to play safe for both sexes." Welp, in that case, it's looking like the score is royal dress code: 1; Meghan Markle: 0. 

One Twitter user noticed Meghan's uber casual fashion choice during her first public outing with Prince Harry and immediately got to work giving her opinion. "I'm thinking that you shouldn't be wearing ripped jeans while out walking in public with a Prince," the tweet read. And while it could be argued that Meghan should be free to wear what she wants to wear and when she wants to wear it, it's also fair to think that it might have served her to play it a bit more safe, at least in this particular instance. Then again, it does seem like Meghan prefers to march to the beat of her own drum.

We've all been there: you're running late and in a hurry to get dressed, so you grab a recent purchase from the closet, throw it on, and take one last glance at the mirror before scrambling out the door. Next thing you know, you're all the way at your destination when you realize the tags are still on your new clothes. The horror! Tale is as old as time. 

Lucky for you, you probably don't have a gang of paparazzi documenting your every move just waiting to catch a glimpse of that lingering tag. Unfortunately, Meghan Markle doesn't have it quite that easy.

In October of 2018, newlywed Meghan sported a smart red dress while departing a flight in Tonga with her new hubby in tow, as reported by CNN. Photographers couldn't help but notice the tag hanging off the bottom. They quickly got to work documenting their findings. Cue the flashbulbs. 

And while we don't know how Meghan took the news once she realized that she had indeed forgotten to cut the tags off (or let's be real — her staff forgot to cut the tags off), we can only hope that she chose to laugh it off and take the whole thing in stride! 

You may recall singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," as a young child. And while the royal children might well have also grown up singing that nursery rhyme, they probably learned very early on that baring their shoulders in public is frowned upon — no matter how catchy the tune is. But sunny California girl, Meghan Markle flouted that custom in 2018.

While attending the Commonwealth Youth Forum, Meghan opted to sport a black blazer over a black-and-white sleeveless pinstriped dress, per AOL. That wasn't the issue, though. The problem occurred when she chose to lose the blazer and bare her shoulders while inside the event. Cue the song, "I'm too sexy" — for her coat, that is. To be fair, Meghan's sister-in-law Kate Middleton has gone sleeveless before too.

But in this particular instance, even if Meghan had donned a dress with sleeves, it may have been preferable to keep the jacket on. According to Harper's Bazaar, when Kate wears a coat, she never removes it, even indoors. Taking off her coat in public is deemed "unladylike" and something that would "disrupt her outfit choice." 

We can't forget the fashion faux-pas that started it all: the great missing pantyhose debacle!

As reported by Yahoo, Meghan Markle raised eyebrows in November 2017 when she opted to bare her legs during the announcement of her engagement to Prince Harry. While some were busy trying to snag a look at her engagement ring, others were too busy focusing on her naked legs. Oopsie.

During an interview with Women's Wear Daily, etiquette adviser Jo Bryant explained why pantyhose are such a big deal for royals: "One should wear tights for formal occasions; bare legs are often too casual, especially with smart outfits." For example, Kate Middleton almost always wears pantyhose, and the queen requires it at royal events.

Hmm... who knew? Apparently not Meghan. But hey, let's give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was too busy staring at her new rock or her new fiancé to realize — or maybe she's deadset on blazing her own royal path.