Meghan Markle Breaks Royal Rules With Off-The-Shoulder Dress at Queen's Celebration

Meghan shows her shoulders
Gasp!Getty

Markle's attire was not entirely by-the-book.

Meghan Markle's entry into the royal family began with her new in-laws appearing to be ever-so-slightly scandalized by her non-traditional wedding day choices and those breaks with the past may have continued this weekend.

At the traditional Trooping the Colour, a fanfare filled celebration of the monarch's birth held each June for 260 years, Markle made her balcony debut at Buckingham Palace.

And she did it (gasp!) in an off-the-shoulder dress, causing a stir among some royal traditionalists.

Per the UK tabloid The Sun, royal "fashion tradition usually dictates that Royal women do not wear off-shoulder or other more revealing styles."

Markle's decision to wear the rule-breaking couture pink Carolina Herrera number wasn't at just any event.

Not only was Saturday's pageantry a party for Queen Elizabeth II herself, it was also the first time the newly minted Duchess of Sussex has ever been photographed with so many royals.

For the first time, Markle was snapped alongside what appeared to be just about the entire royal family.

It doesn't take particularly sharp eyes to notice that out of all the women on that lofty balcony, only Markle's shoulders were bare.

Markle previously raised a select few eyebrows with her choice of wedding dress, which also let a bit of shoulder peek through.

The duchess has reportedly also been known to eschew the royal rule that ladies consistently wear pantyhose.

Meanwhile, Markle, like her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, was careful to follow the rule of curtseying to the queen as she rode past in a carriage.

In celebration of the queen's birthday, which is actually in April, over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each June in a display of military precision and horsemanship. 

With the streets lined with crowds waving flags, the parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down the Mall to Horse Guard's Parade, alongside members of the royal family on horseback and in carriages.

The display closes with a grand Royal Air Force fly-by.

When the queen first arrives, she's greeted by a royal salute before she carries out an inspection of the troops, who are fully trained and operational soldiers wearing the ceremonial uniform of red tunics and bearskin hats.

The queen is then joined by other members of the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace before a 41-gun salute is fired to mark the occasion. 

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