Meghan Markle attended her first solo event as the Duchess of Sussex today, where she celebrated the opening of the Oceania exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts. Just four months after her royal wedding to Prince Harry, the engagement was proof of Markle's swift transition to into the British royal family.
However, it seems the California-born former actress is still a regular person at heart—she closed her own car door while arriving at her solo debut.
Video from the Duchess' arrival, tweeted by royal correspondents, shows the Meghan stepping out of the car and shutting the door behind her while greeting one of her hosts. The gesture, albeit simple, was praised by some royal watchers on Twitter as a subtle sign that Meghan is still down-to-earth, despite her royal status.
Some joked that Meghan's royal protection officer (AKA bodyguard) would probably be in trouble with Prince Harry for slacking on door duty.
This wasn't Meghan's first time closing the door for herself. When she arrived to her event at Kensington Palace last week, someone opened the door for her, but she still shut it after stepping out of the car.
However, Meghan doesn't close her own door at all of her public appearances. When she arrived to the WellChild Awards with Prince Harry earlier this month, someone was there to open and close the door for her.
The same thing happened when she arrived to the Wimbledon final with Kate Middleton in July.
It also happened when she got to Cliveden House with her mother, Doria Ragland, the night before her wedding.
She got some door help at one of her first royal engagements, during a visit to Brixton, too.
It looks like it all comes down to timing.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
