She keeps shaking things up! Meghan Markle‘s luxurious (and very expensive) baby shower in New York City is just the latest example of how the 37-year-old Duchess of Sussex is doing things her own way in the royal family and, thankfully, Queen Elizabeth is just fine with her breaking tradition.

“The Queen liked her from day one and has a soft spot for her, so she really can do no wrong in the Queen’s eyes,” an insider exclusively told Closer Weekly. “Meghan has carte blanche at the palace. Meghan’s changed everything. The rules don’t seem to apply to her.” Well, we’re hoping that the former actress gave Prince Philip‘s wife, 92, a hug, or at least a royal high-five for giving her the green light to have quite the baby bash in America.

Meghan Markle
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Traditionally, celebrating the arrival of a baby by getting together for food and drinks, exchanging gifts and playing games is something that is very well-known with Americans. But for British folks, and especially royals, a baby shower isn’t common so it’s certainly interesting that the Suits alum got to party it up anyway, which speaks volumes about Meghan’s spot in the modern monarchy.

The duchess’ two-day baby shower has made major headlines this week, especially since more and more details keep getting revealed about the extravaganza. For starters, the entire bash apparently cost about $200,000, a bill that Prince Harry‘s wife did not have to pay for herself as one of her best pals, Serena Williams, gladly took the bill. The Duchess of Sussex was also joined by many lucky friends including Amal Clooney and Suits costar Abigail Spencer at the special event. Kate Middleton sadly did not make an appearance and missed out on celebrating Baby Sussex in The Mark Hotel’s penthouse suite which reportedly costs $75,000 a night. Yes, seriously!

Before you make any assumptions, the 37-year-old Duchess of Cambridge’s absence was apparently not due to an alleged feud with her sister-in-law, but more due to Meghan simply wanting to celebrate with friends who she doesn’t see very often and who can’t afford pricey trips to London all the time. We can’t wait to see how else Meghan shakes up the royal family in the future!