Prince Harry Breaks Royal Protocol For Meghan Markle After Caribbean Trip

Prince Harry reportedly broke royal protocol while dating Meghan Markle two years ago.

At that time, the 33-year-old prince just came from the Caribbean, and he was supposed to return to the United Kingdom for his official engagements. However, instead of attending to them, Prince Harry decided to meet Markle in Toronto.

According to The Telegraph, the Duke of Sussex broke royal protocol because official visits cannot be combined with personal trips. This rule was made in 2004 after Prince Andrew mixed work with pleasure during his travels.

The publication also noted that official trips are typically paid for by the taxpayers, and personal excursions are paid for by the members of the royal family. The Royal Household also released a statement years ago regarding the two types of trips.

“In order to avoid confusion, combining private and public engagements in the same trip is actively discouraged,” the statement read (via Express).

As of late, it is still unclear whether or not Prince Harry flew via a budget airline when he met Markle in Canada. Prince Harry and Prince William are known for regularly flying on budget airlines for their personal trips. This is something that their dad, Prince Charles, has not done.

Sally Bedell, a royal biographer, said that Prince Charles doesn’t follow in his two sons’ footsteps. The future king typically travels via his private plane because he finds it challenging to take first-class flights. Prince Charles travel budget last year reached over $1.5 million.

In related news, Prince Harry and Markle can break travel protocol when they have children, but this is something that Prince William and Kate Middleton are not really allowed to do. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may ride the plane with their offspring, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shouldn’t do so.

It is believed that in case of emergency, it would be best if an heir to the throne is not traveling with another heir to the throne. Prince William is second in the line of succession, and Prince George is third in line.