Meghan Markle More Hands-On With Public Than Kate Middleton, Former Butler Says

Meghan Markle is more hands-on with the public compared to Kate Middleton.

The Duchess of Sussex has been seen hugging strangers during her past engagements. Markle is more drawn to the public than the Duchess of Cambridge. According to Grant Harrold, a former royal butler, there's a reason why Middleton has a different approach from Markle, and this is due to pressure.

"On the one hand (Kate) has a lovely personality, but I think the thing about her is she's going to be the Queen," Harrold told Express. "Even though part of her knows she's going be Queen so she's still got to keep that at the back of her mind."

"So for Meghan, her husband is fifth in line so it's highly unlikely (she will be Queen). There's not the same pressure," the expert continued.

Markle has made headlines in the past for breaking royal protocol by hugging a number of individuals on different occasions. For instance, when she joined Prince Harry in Birmingham to celebrate International Women's Day, she hugged a 10-year-old schoolgirl.

"Meghan told me that I can achieve whatever I want to achieve. And Meghan said she would like to see me on TV when I become an actress," Sophie Richards said. "It was a dream come true. I will never forget this day."

When Prince Harry and Markle also visited Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, the Duchess of Sussex brushed off charity co-founder Alice Thompson's handshake for a hug.

"It was at the end when I went in for a handshake with Meghan and she just embraced me," Thompson said of her encounter with Markle. "They were both so genuine - showing the kind of interest and good nature you can't fake."

Although Middleton is not as touchy as Markle in public, there are also times when she breaks royal protocol. The Duchess of Cambridge was seen giving high-fives in Scotland.

William Hanson, an etiquette expert, advised Markle and Middleton to stop giving cuddles and high-fives to the public. According to Hanson, the duchesses should act like a royal and stop being "one of us."

"For me, royalty should be royal. They are not supposed to be like 'one of us.' They must all be nice people, yes (and they are), but it seems that it's now all a bit too chummy and informal," Hanson wrote. "We all know that royal funding is not the most secure fiscal fixture. The more that the royal family behaves like your average Joe, the weaker the argument is to give them that funding. We don't fund them to be like us. If they are just like any other family, then what's the need to subsidise them? Why not give us the funding then, instead?"