When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were working members of the royal family and enjoyed the benefits of taxpayer funding, there were many rules they had to follow.

However, when they stepped back in 2020 and decide to work towards “financial independence” their lives transformed, and many of the protocols they were once bound by no longer applied to them – including the receiving of gifts.

Members of the Royal Family have to follow seriously strict rules when it comes to accepting gifts or presents from members of the public, and private companies – this is to ensure that the gift doesn’t compromise the royals themselves, and therefore this rule also protects the institution of the monarchy as a whole.

Now private individuals, Meghan and Harry no longer have to worry about following this kind of rule, which saw them have to return £7m worth of wedding gifts back in 2018 – because they don’t represent the crown in an official capacity anymore, and they no longer receive any public funding.

On their wedding in May 2018, Meghan and Harry were reportedly inundated with gifts from well-wishing members of the public – despite the fact they had asked that instead of wedding presents people made a donation to one of their preferred charities instead. However, some people just couldn’t resist trying to present the happy couple with a token of their good wishes, and unfortunately for safety reasons, the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex simply weren’t allowed to keep any of these generous gifts from the public.

Equally, many companies are said to have sent wedding gifts to the couple, and they were also forced to return these, for two reasons. Firstly, because royal protocol dictates that “the fundamental principle governing the acceptance of gifts by Members of The Royal Family is that no gifts, including hospitality or services, should be accepted which would, or might appear to, place the Member of The Royal Family under any obligation to the donor”.

Secondly, if companies give a present to one of the royals, it could be perceived as a form of advertising – it’s great publicity for a company for one of the royals to be seen using one of their products after all. However, this isn’t seen as appropriate, and any gifts sent would have to be returned, which in Meghan and Harry’s case was to the tune of £7m worth of goodies after their Windsor wedding.

However, during the couple’s recent visit to Nigeria, none of these rules applied to them, and whatever thoughtful presents they were given while in the country, they are within their rights to keep hold of if they want to. For instance, both Meghan and Harry were given traditional Nigerian clothing when they were there, and both looked thrilled to wear it.

Equally, Harry was presented with an incredibly sweet portrait of himself as a child with his late mother, Princess Diana, on the first day of their trip – alongside a stunning painting of him and Meghan, both of which the couple would likely be thrilled to keep as a memento of what they called an “unforgettable” trip for which they had the “deepest gratitude”.

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