Queen Elizabeth Once Made a Gesture That "Would Bring the Monarchy Down"

Meghan Markle may be known as the breaker of royal protocol, but long before she was lambasted for everything from closing her own car door to wearing dark nail polish, Queen Elizabeth herself nearly brought "the monarchy down" with one simple gesture.

According to The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, a new book by the Queen’s dressmaker and close confidant, Angela Kelly, Queen E. once caused international uproar when she dared to pose for a photo with her hands in her pockets. The undated portrait of Queen Elizabeth, which was published in Hello!, shows the queen in a cream dress, with her hands in the dress’s pockets, with a smile on her face.

The Cut reports that Kelly wrote in the book that the queen had wanted to strike a more "informal" pose in a photo, but the Queen Mother and staff dissuaded her, worrying that such pictures "would bring the monarchy down." Kelly wrote that in arranging such a photo, she wondered "if I might have a wonderful opportunity to make the Queen’s wish come true."

Spoiler alert: the monarchy is still standing, despite Queen Elizabeth putting her hands in her pocket. In fact, Meghan Markle made the same move during an outing last year, and was roundly critiqued by an etiquette expert speaking to, of course, Daily Mail.

"We know that Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pioneering a new, relaxed, tactile branch of monarchy but having hands in the pocket is a step too far," etiquette expert William Hanson told the Mail.

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Hm. Counterpoint: If it's a pose good enough for the Queen, it's not "a step too far."