'A step too far': Meghan Markle's habit of putting her hand in her pocket slammed for being 'too casual'
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is being flagged for her 'too casual' fashion choices, according to reports. Meghan's choice of clothing during her royal tour of Australia and surrounding countries with her husband Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has sparked a major debate among royal family fans as well as fans of the 37-year-old former 'Suits' star.
All through her 16-day South Pacific tour, Meghan was seen donning several different looks, and the royal was also misfortunate enough to encounter some wardrobe malfunctions along the way. However, the one tiny aspect of all her clothes had royal fans turning their heads in surprise and even shock, i.e., the existence of pockets.
On Monday, the Duchess was seen wearing a white tuxedo dress designed by New Zealand's Maggie Marilyn, for her appearance during an event at Courtenay Creative in Wellington. The outfit, although stunning in every manner of speaking, drew a lot of praise from fans of the royal, but it wasn't totally free from criticism either. "We know that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pioneering a new, relaxed, tactile branch of the monarchy but having hands in the pocket is a step too far," said William Hanson, who considers himself to be the U.K.'s 'leading etiquette expert and coach', reports Daily Mail.
Meghan was captured on camera a lot of times during the event, and in some of the pictures, the Duchess of Sussex had her hands inside her pockets, a gesture Hanson said was inappropriate for any royal of her stature. "There is good casual and there is bad casual. Placing a hand in the pocket is too relaxed and unprofessional, however, dressed down Prince Harry and his wife may have been," he added.
The royal etiquette guru also said that although having pockets in her dress was not really a major faux-pas, he suggested that Meghan avoid tempting fate by opting for dresses without pockets in the future. "Will the world end? No. It is just a small blip in Meghan’s usually delightful manners that can be easily corrected for future engagements," Hanson told the media outlet.
However, a lot of royal fans, among which a lot are women, have considerably argued that Hanson's critique may be too harsh. "We love pockets!" one woman tweeted Wednesday. "Way more important things to worry about in this world," another wrote, adding, "when she is a mom – she will need those pockets!"
"I think pockets are great!!! Soooo helpful! I try [not] to buy slacks w/o pockets," a woman echoed. Judi James, a body language and social behavior expert, also seems to have noticed Meghan's peculiar habit over the summer, and she too decided to give her two cents on the issue.
"Prince Charles does it, Prince Harry does it and even little Prince George has been seen doing it, but Meghan might be the first royal woman to shove her hand into a pocket when she's out in public," James told OK! Magazine in July. James also noted that it's a "very common gesture".
"The classic reason for this very common gesture is that it signals a subliminal desire to hide, especially when the hands are shoved deep into the pockets," she said. "It also helps get over the common problem most of us suffer from, which is not really knowing what to do with our hands when we know people are looking at us."
