Meghan Markle Suffers Awkward Royal Faux Pas When She Hugs A Curtsying Charity Organizer

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Meghan Markle encountered another ‘royal pain’ at the One World Summit. As the Duchess of Sussex went in for a hug, the event’s founder curtsied, and it was a car-crash of awkwardness.

Meghan Markle, 38, had an awkward moment on stage at the One World Summit at the Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 22. As she walked on to greet organizer Kate Robertson, the Duchess of Sussex extended her arms out to embrace her. However, Kate decided to curtsey to the Duchess at the same time, resulting in an awkward hug around Meghan’s waist. Meghan’s arms wound up on Kate’s shoulders. It was all snafu, but the two quickly laughed it off and hugged tightly.

While the British press was quick to make this a bigger deal than it is (a “VERY embarrassing blunder,” the Daily Express called it), keep in mind that Meghan was born in America. Her native country fought a whole war to free itself from the outdated notion of subjecting oneself to an unelected ruling family. Plus, as the Daily Mail noted, there are no obligatory rules when it comes to greeting the Queen or her family members. Tradition dictates that men bow and women curtsey, but a handshake is acceptable. Perhaps it’s time to add “hugging” to the list?

Which will happen first: Queen Elizabeth II hugging a Tottenham Hotspur supporter after the North London Derby or Wendy Williams apologizing to Meghan for the comments she made on her Oct. 22 show? During that episode of The Wendy Williams Show, the host played a clip from Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, in which Meghan spoke about her struggles with the British tabloids. Wendy went so far to suggest that Meghan was playing things up to “give her sympathy.”

“You knew what you were doing,” Wendy said, addressing the Duchess directly. “Meghan, don’t be surprised the paparazzi are everywhere, because you’re a royal. They weren’t following you when you were on Suits because no one knew who you were… Meghan, no one feels sorry for you, you know what you signed up for, girl!”

Meghan will probably brush off Wendy’s comments the way she brushed off this hug-courtesy moment at the One World Summit. Meghan has been involved with One Young World since 2014 when she attended their summit in Dublin. She agreed to be a counselor and acted as a role model and advisor for young people. She’s used her role in the group to advocate for women’s rights and the role men can play in building equality.

Though the interaction was awkward, Meghan still looked fabulous as she rocked a purple dress from Canadian retailer Aritzia’s Babaton line. The brand has been a go-to for Meghan over the years — likely due to her time spent in Toronto shooting Suits and close connection with Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney — and wore this exact dress when she was pregnant!