Meghan Markle Is Actually Giving up Quite a Lot to Marry Into the Royal Family

As fancy as a royal wedding sounds, marrying a prince is a lot of hard work. And while Prince Harry is undeniably swoonworthy, Meghan Markle will have to give up quite a lot when she marries her military-clad knight in shining armour on Saturday, May 19. Scroll down to see all the things Meghan must change in her life to become a royal!

1. She’ll have to change her name

Granted, most newlyweds do opt to take on their spouse’s last name, but Meghan will not have a choice in the matter. When she ties the knot, Meghan’s moniker will change from her birth name, Rachel Meghan Markle, to Rachel Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor.

2. She’ll have to give up partying

Old-school Meghan loved a party! Whether she was at a cast wrap bash or having a blast at Fashion Week, Meghan loved celebrating with friends. But alas, her days of public fun are gone. It also means that we won’t see her sharing with the world all the fun freebies she’s scored from Hollywood goodie bags.

3. She’ll have to give up trips with girlfriends

One of the many reasons we adore Meghan is because she’s just so relatable. Meghan loves going out and drinking with her best friends — in fact, her now defunct blog The Tig was named after her favorite red wine, Tignanello. Her former Instagram account (it was shut down shortly after her engagement to Harry!) was flooded with dinners featuring many glasses of wine (because why not?!) and fun getaways with the girls. Technically, she can continue doing all this, but it now has be on the down low. Luckily she has a castle, so that should help things!

4. She had to give up social media

After she become involved with Harry, Meghan said goodbye to her lifestyle website and social media accounts. But, thankfully, she’ll still appear on the royal family’s Kensington Palace social media accounts alonside Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton!

5. She had to change her style

We think this hurts the most because Meghan knows good fashion. In her 36 years, she’s undergone a range of style evolutions. But Meghan 2.0 (aka The American Duchess) must dress demurely. Below are a few of the royal fashion rules she must now follow:

• No dark nails
• No shorts
• No all-black outfits (unless she’s at a funeral or it is Remembrance Day)
• No tights
• No fake fur vests
• No cleavage
• No huge handbags

6. She had to give up her acting career

Last November, it was confirmed Meghan had quit her legal drama Suits. She then confirmed that she was calling it a day with acting all together. “I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change,” Meghan said in her first joint interview with Harry. “It’s a new chapter, right? And also, keep in mind, I’ve been working on [Suits] for seven years. We were very, very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series. I’ve ticked this box, and I feel very proud of the work I’ve done there, and now it’s time to work with [Harry] as a team.”

7. She has to give up her US citizenship

It’s time to forget about “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Meghan, because your new anthem is “God Save the Queen.” Technically, Meghan could retain her American status and become a duel citizen after she marries Harry, though it does seem unlikely. Speaking about Meghan’s journey to becoming a Brit — she recently applied for her Visa! — Harry’s communication’s secretary, Jason Knauf, said Meghan would be “compliant with immigration requirements at all times.” He added, “I can also say she intends to become a UK citizen and will go through the process of that, which some of you may know takes a number of years.”

8. She has to refrain from PDA

After Meghan ties the knot with Harry, she’ll need to refrain from public displays of affection. So far in their relationship, Harry and Meghan have been more touchy-feely than most royals, but it may not last for much longer. Who can forget when Queen Elizabeth had a stern word over their hand-holding?!

9. She isn’t allowed to have a political stance

When Meghan becomes a member of the royal family, she will be discouraged to take a political stance on any issues. In fact, they’re not even allowed to vote! On the Monarchy’s website it states, “As head of state, the Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters.” Meghan’s a philanthropist, an activist who has long fought for women’s rights, gender equality, and has very strong values about human rights, and international politics, so staying mum on the things she believes in will be difficult.

While she may be expected to remain quiet on such matters, Meghan is setting a new precedent for herself. While recently talking about the Time’s Up and Me Too movements, she said, “Right now with so many campaigns like Me Too and Time’s Up, there’s no better time to continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people supporting them.” It will be interesting how she uses her voice when she’s a royal. One thing is certain — she has Harry’s undying support. Praising her, he gushed, “I am personally incredibly proud and excited that my soon-to-be-wife who is equally passionate about seeing positive change in the world will soon be joining us with this work.”

10. She has to give up her California slang

She was born and raised as a California girl, but etiquette expert Zarife Hardy predicts Meghan will eventually lose her Cali twang and adopt a British accent. “I think that American accent will definitely be refined. Changing accents takes a long time but you’ve only got to look at Princess Mary to see how her Australian accent vanished,” Zarife revealed. “She’ll have to become a little more British and will be in elocution classes as well as history classes to brush up on the rich tapestry of the royal family.”

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This post was written by Chloe Lal. It originally appeared on our sister site, Now to Love