Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Had to Return £7 Million in Wedding Gifts from Fans Because of Little-Known Royal Protocol

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 9 January 2024

Fans flocked to Windsor for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on May 19, 2018—many of them bearing gifts. But, The Mirror reports, royal protocol—and a little-known rule—dictated that many of the gifts had to be returned, the outlet reports.

For perhaps understandable reasons—safety being chief among them—members of the royal family are unable to accept any gifts that members of the public bring along with them to meet the royal family in person, be it a royal wedding, a royal tour, or a royal engagement. Those that brought gifts onsite at Windsor had their gifts returned to them; instead, per an official statement sent out prior to the wedding, well-wishers who wanted to send a gift were to do so by sending it to Kensington Palace, where Harry and Meghan’s offices were at the time.

“The reason for this was because Palace aides wanted to prevent people and companies from using the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex for publicity,” The Mirror reports. “It was previously reported that Harry and Meghan had to return £7 million in wedding gifts for that very reason.”

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This isn’t just a Harry and Meghan rule, but a rule for the entire royal family: no family member is allowed to accept gifts that could be seen as advertising. (After all, as we well know, the royals—particularly Kate and Meghan—are huge influencers on what to buy, and anything they wear sells out nearly immediately.) “The fundamental principle governing the acceptance of gifts by Members of The Royal Family is that no gfits, including hospitality or services, should be accepted which would, or might appear to, place the Member of The Royal Family under any obligation to the donor,” official guidelines read.

In fact, Harry and Meghan did request one wedding gift in particular ahead of their big day—a donation to one of seven charities of their choice, including CHIVA, Crisis, Myna Mahalia Foundation, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, StreetGames, Surfers Against Sewage, and The Wilderness Foundation U.K.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.