Royal protocol rules are nothing if not super tricky to follow! Meghan Markle recently stepped out with her new sister-in-law Kate Middleton at Wimbledon and perfectly accessorized her chic outfit with a summer fedora. But Meghan actually wasn’t allowed to wear her hat during the tennis tournament for a surprising reason.

According to The Sun, the 36-year-old Duchess of Sussex was seated in Wimbledon’s Royal Box and the area has its own strict fashion rules. Apparently, men are expected to dress smartly in a jacket and tie and women are asked not to wear hats to avoid blocking the view of other people seated in the Royal Box.

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While the hat rule doesn’t apply to everyone at Wimbledon — people sitting elsewhere in the tennis stadium can wear headpieces — it is a specific fashion bylaw that members of the monarchy are expected to follow while watching a match. So, that’s why Meghan was photographed holding her wide-brimmed panama hat the entire time she was at Wimbledon last week!

Interestingly, Meghan did don the same fedora hat while attending Wimbledon back in 2016 to watch her close friend Serena Williams compete in the tournament but, at the time, actress Meg was definitely not sitting in the Royal Box.

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Meghan’s Wimbledon hat isn’t the first time the Duchess has made a minor fashion faux pas during recent weeks. When Meg and Harry made a two-day visit to Ireland earlier this month, the former Suits star was spotted carrying a new Strathberry tote with the plastic wrappings around the protective studs adorning the bottom of her bag. Even royals make style mistakes sometimes!

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