--- title: Prince Harry and Meghan Deny Neighbors' 'Guidelines' Rumors description: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaging in the royal rumors to seem to deny claims they gave "guidelines" to their new neighbors. canonical: https://time.com/5637788/prince-harry-meghan-markle-neighbor-rules-rumors/ author: Rachel E. Greenspan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-07-29T21:30:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:25.588Z og:title: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Deny Reports They Issued Dog Petting, Baby Talk 'Guidelines' for Neighbors og:description: The Sussex statement denies issuing instructions for how neighbors should act og:url: https://time.com/5637788/prince-harry-meghan-markle-neighbor-rules-rumors/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8a1dec11175b616/698a008716d8842305c36bf3/harry-meghan-neighbor-guidelines.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Deny Neighbor 'Guidelines' Rumor og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Deny Reports They Issued Dog Petting, Baby Talk 'Guidelines' for Neighbors twitter:description: The Sussex statement denies issuing instructions for how neighbors should act twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8a1dec11175b616/698a008716d8842305c36bf3/harry-meghan-neighbor-guidelines.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Deny Reports They Issued Dog Petting, Baby Talk 'Guidelines' for Neighbors ## Video: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Just Stepped Out With Their Royal Baby [Watch (HLS stream): Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Just Stepped Out With Their Royal Baby](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/clZgS99X.m3u8) (2:40)  _Published 2019-05-08. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Just Stepped Out With Their Royal Baby._ by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Jul 29, 2019 9:30 PM UTC  Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend "The Lion King" European Premiere on July 14, 2019 in London, England. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend "The Lion King" European Premiere on July 14, 2019 in London, England.Mark Cuthbert—UK Press via Getty Images by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Jul 29, 2019 9:30 PM UTC The [royal family](https://time.com/5616089/royals-at-wimbledon/) doesn’t usually engage with gossip, at least not publicly**.** But [Prince Harry](https://time.com/5635042/prince-harry-princess-diana-hospital-book/), Duke of Sussex, and [Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,](https://time.com/5624491/meghan-markle-beyonce/) seem to have drawn the line at reports claiming they provided “[guidelines](https://time.com/5543106/british-royals-block-trolls/)” to their future neighbors before moving into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. The controversy stemmed from an [article published by British tabloid The _Sun_](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9594704/meghan-markle-prince-harry-archie-list-neighbours/) on July 26\. “Warnings were made at a recent residents’ meeting \[when\] the issue of the Sussexes’ move to the private Home Park estate was raised,” the newspaper claimed. “Don’t approach or instigate conversation if you see the Royal couple,” “Don’t pet or stroke their dogs, even if they come over to you” and “Don’t ask to see baby Archie” were among the alleged orders given to local residents. “The Duke and Duchess had no knowledge of this briefing and no involvement in the concept or the content,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement [sent to the Daily _Mail_](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7291079/Harry-Meghan-ban-neighbours-talking-royals-asking-Archie-petting-dogs.html). “This was a well-intentioned briefing to help a small local community know how to welcome two new residents and help them with any potential encounter.” The Duke and Duchess’ press office did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment. There are no specific rules for “commoners” when spotting members of the royal family in public, though it is customary to bow or curtsy, Kensington Palace’s website says. Dispelling the gossip, the spokesperson asserted that no “handouts” were given to residents, and that the meeting was run by a “local manager,” rather than a representative from the palace. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said “an overly protective” official must have issued some kind of rules without the knowledge or approval of the Duke and Duchess, The _Sun_ claimed. Crown Estates, which runs Home Park, the estate which houses Frogmore, did not immediately return TIME’s request for comment.  A general view of Frogmore Cottage on April 10, 2019 in Windsor, England. The cottage is situated on the Frogmore Estate, itself part of Home Park, Windsor, in Berkshire. It is the new home of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. GOR—Getty Images “You have all sorts of people who live in that area, in grace-and-favor and staff housing. They know what to do,” says Marlene Koenig, a British and European royal historian. “I certainly do not believe that Harry and Meghan issued these statements.” The privacy that the couple has strived for since their marriage last year has often incurred a well of criticism, and rumors like this one “just adds fuel to the fire,” Koenig says. Actor and comedian Billy Eichner said in a [_Jimmy Kimmel Live!_ interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXr4vNrsgEQ) that, before meeting the royals at the London premiere of [_The Lion King_ ](https://time.com/5624607/the-lion-king-live-action-review/)on July 14, he was been briefed on protocol via email — including whether to bow (yes) and how to address Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (“Your Royal Highness”). “They are very intense about it,” Eichner said, though he didn’t specify whether these rules came from _The Lion King_‘s production team or the royal family themselves. According to [official guidelines for greeting British royals](https://www.royal.uk/greeting-member-royal-family), “there are no obligatory codes of behavior when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family.” Traditional guidelines, however, do include slight bows (for men) and curtsies (for women), as well as addressing the royal by “Your Royal Highness. In other words, it’s not uncommon for non-royals to come prepared to a royal meeting. Still, Eichner said he had a “lovely” conversation with Meghan Markle, with whom he shares Northwestern University’s acting program as an alma mater. “\[Prince Harry and Meghan Markle\] were very, very nice, and totally chill and down-to-Earth.” In spite of all the claims, the royal family did recently release guidelines for conduct — to put an end to online harassment. In March, Kensington Palace [rolled out their own rules](https://www.royal.uk/social-media-community-guidelines) for how online users should interact appropriately with Kensington Palace, the royal family and Clarence House (Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall). “The aim of our social media channels is to create an environment where our community can engage safely in debate and is free to make comments, questions and suggestions,” the royal family’s website explains of the guidelines. Inappropriate comments include anything “defamatory of any person” or anything that “deceives others.” > [](https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1102512689358749699) Comments that “promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age,” are also subject to deletion from royal family members’ social media pages. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5637788/prince-harry-meghan-markle-neighbor-rules-rumors/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5637788/prince-harry-meghan-markle-neighbor-rules-rumors/"},"headline":"Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Deny Reports They Issued Dog Petting, Baby Talk 'Guidelines' for Neighbors","datePublished":"2019-07-29T21:30:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:40:25.588Z","description":"The Duke and Duchess' statement denies issuing instructions for how neighbors should act","url":"https://time.com/5637788/prince-harry-meghan-markle-neighbor-rules-rumors/","keywords":["Newsfeed","royals","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8a1dec11175b616/698a008716d8842305c36bf3/harry-meghan-neighbor-guidelines.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel E. 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