Prince Harry tells off racing star for breaking Royal Protocol with Meghan at Ascot

One cheeky jockey stole a kiss from the Duchess, with Harry watching on.

On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their debut as a married couple at Royal Ascot, just one month after their wedding. The pair arrived in a carriage procession behind the Queen in the afternoon for the first of five days of racing at Ascot.

For her first time at the race course, Meghan presented a trophy alongside her new husband to Frankie Dettori, for his triumph at the St. James’s Palace stakes.

When handed his prize, the jockey cheekily planted a kiss on Meghan’s hand. Meghan laughed while Harry jokingly wagged his finger at the Italian horseman. Frankie then stood for a photograph with the royal couple.

Meghan seems to adapting to her new royal role with ease. Though she’s known for her contemporary style, Meghan adhered to Ascot’s strict dress code and looked elegant in a white Givenchy shirt dress and Phillip Treacy hat. This is Meghan’s third time wearing Givenchy – the first being her wedding gown, her second for her first solo engagement with the Queen last week.

Meghan isn’t totally sticking to the rules, though. The Duchess of Sussex chose not to wear a name badge as this year’s races, despite it being a tradition that all members of the royal family wear one (except for the Queen). The Duchess of Cambridge was seen wearing hers at yesterday’s event, but eagled-eyed spectators noticed Meghan carried hers in her hand.

It’s thought that Meghan’s choice was down to her dress fabric. Her dress, possibly made from silk, may have been marked or worse by a name badge, whereas Catherine’s cotton or lace dresses are less likely to be ruined.

Meghan wasn’t the only royal to not wear her name tag this year.

The Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were photographed not wearing theirs.

Lauren Hughes

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren worked on the woman&home brand for four years before going freelance. Before woman&home Lauren worked across a variety of women's lifestyle titles, including GoodTo, Woman's Own, and Woman magazine.