Meghan Markle's Tuxedo Dress at 'Hamilton' Killed an Old Rumor About Royal Protocol

Having spent the summer away from the public eye, it was a given that Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) would return to work with a fashion moment to make up for lost time—and she didn’t disappoint. Last night she and Prince Harry attended a gala performance of Hamilton (opens in new tab) in aid of the Sentebale charity, and little did royal fans know that Meghan had opted against formal dresses in favor of a much cooler look. The Duchess chose a killer black tuxedo dress from Judith and Charles (opens in new tab) and, in terms of royal family fashion, it was pretty bold.

While super sophisticated, modern and elegant, the dress inevitably raised a few eyebrows as, *shock horror* the short length hit above the knee, meaning that all of the UK tabloid headlines this morning are now screaming in outrage about "Meg’s legs." In 2018. Sure.

Not only did the dress make a strong style statement compared to past Duchess looks, but it also inadvertently disproved a long-standing rumor about royal family fashion protocol. Meghan opted for no tights with the stunning dress, showing a whole lot of bare leg—which goes firmly against all past reports that the Queen insists on tights or stockings at all times (opens in new tab) for female royal family members in their public appearances.

Past outfits from Meghan seemed to suggest that she’d fallen victim to the rule (opens in new tab), after she opted for midi dresses and stockings for various events, including her look for Prince Charles’ 70th birthday (opens in new tab).

However, the tights/stockings/pantyhose rule seems to still be hazy ground if you ask the people in the know. Royal correspondent for The Sun Emily Andrews tweeted that Meghan has firmly put the protocol idea to rest, writing (opens in new tab): “Meghan is wearing a fierce dress & earrings & NOT WEARING TIGHTS (shock). So that puts paid to all the complete rubbish ‘she has to wear tights now she’s a royal’.”

Meanwhile, royal expert Victoria Arbiter insisted to INSIDER (opens in new tab): "You never see a royal without their nude stockings. Meghan, from what I can see from the engagement photographs, it doesn't look like she was wearing tights or stockings. I would say that's really the only hard, steadfast rule in terms of what the Queen requires.”

In conclusion, Meghan seems to care less than we do, and we should probably all get out more.