The real reason why Meghan Markle walks behind Prince Harry

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently on a whirlwind 16-day royal tour, with new photos of the couple being taken every day.

And looking at the snaps, it’s become evident that the Duchess of Sussex always walks one step behind her husband.

While this might seem a bit bizarre, it’s actually a practice that’s been happening in the royal family for years.

“It is standard practice for British royalty to allow the ‘blood royal’ to walk or stand a few paces in front of the royalty who has married in to the family, as with HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” etiquette expert William Hanson told the Daily Mail.

“’Even though TRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently presenting their own, informal, tactile interpretation of British monarchy, they are still adhering to the precedent with Meghan knowing she, as a non-blood royal, should defer to born royalty.”

Indeed, looking back on photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton while they are on royal tour, the Duchess of Cambridge can be seen walking slightly behind her husband.

And the practice is even more evident looking at photos of the Queen and Prince Philip together, with the Duke of Edinburgh always keeping a respectful distance from his wife.

During the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal tour together, Prince Harry has kept with tradition, walking ahead of Meghan at official engagements and greeting officials before his wife.

The couple are currently on day eleven of their 16-day royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

Today, the met with the Prime Minister of Tonga and Cabinet members at St. George Government Building.

Meghan looked stunning in a $1,595 striped dress, created by Australian designer, Martin Grant. She accessorised with a $1,820 Prada Bibliothèque Bag and a pair of sky-high khaki heels.

Then, they attended an exhibition with Princess Angelika, the sole daughter of Tupou VI, King of Tonga.

The royals are then set to unveil the Queen’s canopy in Tupou College before departing Tonga and heading back to Sydney for the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games.

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