When Meghan Markle joined the Royal Family she had to adhere to a new set of rules to live her life by.

Meghan Markle once posed for polaroid pictures and signed them (Image: Getty)

When Meghan Markle joined the Royal Family, she was subjected to a new set of rules, one in particular the late Queen Mother is reported to have viewed as important.

Meghan found herself guarded by a set of formal rules that would have been unlikely to even cross her mind during her previous career as a TV actress on the show Suits.

During a visit to a Los Angeles Children’s Hospital in America in March, eagle-eyed royal fans spotted Meghan reportedly doing something that would have been frowned upon had she stayed a working royal.

The Duchess of Sussex took photos with the children and then chose to sign them with her autograph.

The Royal Family generally speaking deny any requests for an autograph. Some outlets claim that this is to stop their signature from being used for fraudulent purposes, but it has never been officially confirmed why the royals choose to avoid this.

Since leaving the Royal Family Meghan has focused on charitable projects (Image: Getty)

Since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped down as senior working royals in 2020, when they are out and about meeting with the public and promoting good causes, Meghan doesn’t have to follow the same royal rules.

Many members of the Firm including the late Queen Mother, who died in 2002, stuck to the formal rules of the monarchy, leading one op-ed writer for the New York Post to claim that the sight of Meghan signing autographs would have made the Queen Mother roll “over in her grave”.

Princess Kate was once asked by a school pupil to sign her name when she visited the Chelsea Flower Show’s inaugural children’s picnic in 2023.

Sticking to protocol, she replied: “I can’t write my name, but I can draw.”

Asked a second time about an autograph, the Princess of Wales responded, “My name’s Catherine. I’m not allowed to write my signature, it’s just one of those rules.”

Princess Kate at the RHS Chelsea Flower show 2023 (Image: Getty)

Royal commentators have previously noted how Meghan’s behaviour within the Royal Family was very similar to that of Prince Harry’s late mother Princess Diana.

Royal correspondent Camilla Tominey told Ruth Langsford and Alison Hammond on This Morning: “Meghan broke all the rules with selfies, high fives and hugs.”

She added: “You wouldn’t have seen it back in the 40s and 50s but Princess Diana started these sorts of trends…Sometimes I think the public think the royals are stuffier than they are.”

Meghan appeared happy to hold hands with people in the crowds gathered at the castle, as well as allowing one man to kiss her hand during a royal engagement in Cardiff in 2018.