How Prince Harry Broke Protocol For Meghan Markle Before Engagement

They’ve been the subjects of intense criticism for decisions to break with royal traditions at almost every turn, as well as actions that have many calling them hypocritical. However, even prior to their engagement, it appears breaking royal protocol was a big part of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance.

On the heels of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex receiving criticism over their recent travels by private jet to both Ibiza, Spain, to celebrate Markle’s 38th birthday, and Nice, France, a 2016 report from the Daily Telegraph has resurfaced (via Express UK), which states that Prince Harry actually did it before he even proposed to his future wife by going to visit her in Canada directly after his Caribbean Tour.

According to the report, following his tour, the Prince canceled his seat on a flight home aboard British Airways, making a 1,700-mile detour to Toronto instead to see Markle, who was in Toronto at the time working on her former TV show, “Suits.” However, he had been explicitly told prior to then that he had to fly straight back to London once the tour ended because he had public engagements to attend in the UK.

“The Prince’s decision to visit Miss Markle, whom he had not seen for three weeks, defied the official Royal Household policy that members of the Royal Family should not combine personal trips with official business,” the report stated. “In 2004, after the Duke of York had been criticized for combining official business with golfing breaks, the Royal Household assure the National Audit Office that such behavior would stop.”

”The Royal Household said at the time: ‘Members of the Royal Family are entitled to grant-in-aid for official travel, as are their staff and, where capacity permits, other officials,” the report continued, “They meet their own costs, however, for private travel. In order to avoid confusion, combining private and public engagements in the same trip is actively discouraged.”