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.
