Meghan Markle Had a Very Relatable Awkward Moment With the Queen Today

Christopher Rosa
Updated

Meghan Markle had her first solo engagement with Queen Elizabeth today, and things seemed to go off without a hitch. The pair palled around Cheshire, England, posing for photos, visiting school children, and attending bridge openings—you know, standard royal fare.

One snafu did happen on Markle and the queen's trip, though—well, if you can even call it that. The Daily Mail dubbed this incident Markle's "first royal faux pas," but honestly, it was just a somewhat awkward moment that could've happened to anyone. Queen Elizabeth probably isn't sweating it—and, hopefully, Markle isn't either.

Here's what happened: After the royal train dropped Markle and the queen off in Cheshire, they walked toward an awaiting car. It appears Markle was told to enter the car before the queen. However, the queen didn't know this, so she started going into the car. That's when Markle stopped and asked the monarch, "What's your preference?" Because the queen prefers sitting behind the driver, she hung back and let Markle go in before her. Shortly after, the queen settled into her preferred seat.

Watch the exchange go down for yourself in the video, below:

"This is just a case of habit not protocol (protocol actually says the most important person sits diagonally behind the driver) but the queen has always preferred being directly behind whoever is driving her," a royal etiquette expert told Daily Mail Online.

CHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II share a smile as they speak with the Lord Lieutenant as they leave Chester Town Hall on June 14, 2018 in Chester, England. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last month to become Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. This is her first engagement with the Queen. During the visit the pair opened a road bridge in Widnes, visited The Storyhouse in Chester followed by the Town Hall. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
CHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leaves Chester Town Hall on June 14, 2018 in Chester, England. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last month to become Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. This is her first engagement with the Queen. During the visit the pair opened a road bridge in Widnes, visited The Storyhouse in Chester followed by the Town Hall. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

Markle's situation here is extremely relatable. She just married Prince Harry a month ago, after all, and is still figuring all this "royal protocol" business out. I'd 10/10 do the same thing here if I were her—most of us would. It's possible the royal family didn't brief Markle on the queen's seat preference, which is why this happened. Regardless, it was seamlessly fixed and Markle and the queen went off to enjoy their day together. In-laws!

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