Meghan Markle was told "red carpets are for royals only" in Morocco, according to a viral Tiktok video. However, there may be more to the saga than meets the eye.
The Duchess of Sussex was photographed arriving with Prince Harry at the Moroccan royal family's residence in Rabat to meet Crown Prince Moulay Hassan on February 23, 2019.
After stepping out of a car, Prince Harry walked the red carpet to inspect a guard of honor while Meghan followed behind, off the red carpet.
More than three years on, a Tiktok video of the arrival has gone viral with 8.4 million views and describes the scene as: "Moments Meghan Markle got grounded by royal protocol.
"See how she was shown a different path from Harry's, away from the red carpet in Morocco. This was Morocco telling Meghan that red carpets are for royals only."
There are, however, several problems with this account, including that Meghan was then and remains now a member of the British royal family, having married Prince Harry.
After their May 2018 royal wedding, she received the title Princess Henry of Wales, though most royal women do not style themselves using titles that involve dropping their own first names.
Not only that, but she was still a working royal at the time as she did not complete her final formal duties until March 2020, having announced her decision to quit in January 2020.
Meghan, who wore a red Valentino dress, was also photographed moments later on the red carpet shaking hands with the crown prince. And she walked the red carpet elsewhere during the tour of Morocco, including at Casablanca Airport hours earlier.
At the time, Hello! magazine reported that questions were being asked on social media about why Meghan was seen stepping off the red carpet and offered the explanation that the plan for the arrival involved Prince Harry, himself a military veteran, inspecting the guard of honor alone.
Meghan, who at the time was pregnant and three months off giving birth to their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, stepped to one side as her presence was not required for the set piece moment, according to the magazine.
The duchess joined the U.K. ambassador to Morocco's wife on the edge of the red carpet to watch.
In short, two fundamental component parts of the narrative described in the viral video appear to be false. Namely, Meghan was in fact photographed on the red carpet, albeit slightly later, and also was and is a royal.
The Tiktok video was posted by the account "francispagemedia."
Newsweek reached out for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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