5 of Meghan Markle’s Most Surprising Cultural Differences With the Royal Family
After leaving life in the United Kingdom behind, Meghan Markle got candid about the cultural differences she had to overcome to assimilate into royalty after marrying Prince Harry. She added that there were no classes for her to learn everything, but she “really tried” to adhere to their traditional ways, despite eventually leaving for California. Here are five of the most surprising cultural differences she faced as an American in the British royal family.
Meghan Markle vs. the royal family cultural difference number 1: ‘accepting one’s lot’
Meghan has talked about trying to fit in with her in-laws, noting there were no classes for her to take as a royal in training. That might have to do with the cultural idea that people are born into their fated lot in life and, therefore, can’t learn to be something they’re not. It’s far different than the idea of the American dream being obtainable to anyone.
According to Fortune, political editor Andrew Marr pointed out, “British culture … was long based on the subservience of the individual character to the role, or job, required. People were born to be farmers, or leatherworkers, mothers, shopkeepers, clerks, or priests. Until modern times this was a caste society.”
So, due to that mindset, Meghan’s revelations about a nightmarish royal life might have rubbed some British people the wrong way because of her wealth and privilege. For instance, the Fortune writer asserted, “She should just accept her lot in life (objectively better than most of the rest of the world) and carry on.”
Meghan Markle vs. the royal family cultural difference number 2: the ‘stiff upper lip’
In an ITV documentary, Meghan talked to Tom Bradby about the theory of the British “stiff upper lip,” referring to the idea that British people tend to show stoicism in adversity instead of raw emotion. According to her, it’s real.
Meghan explained, “You’ve got to thrive, you’ve got to feel happy, and I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip.”
“I tried, I really tried,” she added (per Mirror). “But I think what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
Meghan Markle vs. the royal family cultural difference number 3: learning how to wave
In the Harry & Meghan docu-series on Netflix, Meghan talked about the difference between her natural wave, which she said was American, and how she was expected to wave by the royal family. She said perfecting the royal wave isn’t really “a thing,” but there are differences between the cultures.
According to her, British people prefer to do everything “smaller” than those from the US, so she had to learn again how to wave more like a Brit. “I guess you don’t want to wave like an American,” she noted (via Us Weekly). “Everything is just … smaller.”
Meghan Markle vs. the royal family cultural difference number 4: curtseying to the queen
Meghan talked in Harry & Meghan about how she “needed to learn a lot, including the national anthem,” and confessed to using Google for help with almost all things British (Us Weekly). But when describing the first time she curtsied to the queen, she said, “Americans will understand this. We have Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. It was like that. “
Many spectators found Meghan’s curtsy description disrespectful to the late monarch and British culture. But Harry seemingly understood. “How do you explain that you bow to your grandmother? And … you will need to curtsy, especially to an American,” he lamented. “That’s weird.”
Meghan Markle vs. the royal family cultural difference number 5: a language barrier
Harry’s memoir Spare details how cultural differences, even in language use, caused problems in his romance with Meghan, as he wrote about a time she said something he “took the wrong way” (per Harper’s Bazaar).
“It was partly a cultural difference, partly a language barrier, but I was also just over-sensitive that night,” he explained. “I thought: Why’s she having a go at me?”
“I snapped at her, spoke to her harshly — cruelly. As the words left my mouth, I could feel everything in the room come to a stop,” he recalled. He said after that interaction, he found her in the bedroom, where she calmly told him she wouldn’t stand to be spoken to that way. The incident led him to seek therapy.
Now that Harry and Meghan are living in California, seemingly there to stay, it looks unlikely these differences will become such a problem again.
