Meghan Markle & Kate Middleton Keep Breaking Royal Protocol In The Sweetest Way Possible

I can't express how much I truly love having Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle in the royal family. Both women seem so friendly, warm, and down to earth that, since Prince William and Prince Harry didn't choose me as their betrothed, I'm glad they both went for people who share the same characteristics as me (note that I didn't say I was humble). But in all seriousness, both women have shown their compassion for the people, and I respect the hell out of it. And these photos of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton hugging commoners prove that both duchesses are totally cool with breaking royal protocol for the people who show them unwavering support.

Most recently, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited Sussex, their namesake British county on Wednesday, Oct. 3. and thousands upon thousands of commoners came to capture the newly married couple. While it's very typical for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to have such a huge crowd of fans, this particular time, we saw Meghan Markle go all out in hugging mode, doling out hugs to the well-wishers who were standing to greet her and Prince Harry.

We're not just talking quick, one-armed pats (you know, the kind you give when you run into a former high school classmate who you haven't seen in a decade). No, no, Meghan went up on her tiptoes to embrace fans across the gated barrier, and it shows that she couldn't care less what her title was or what rule she may have been breaking.

Check it out and see for yourself:

Meghan Markle just made that woman's DAY, you guys.

Look at her standing on tiptoe to make the embrace even more special:

The true definition of a people's princess, if you ask me.

And, while Prince Harry didn't give any bear hugs this time, he did pet this very good boy:

It's unrelated, but how could I resist not showing you this sweet little doggo?

But look, it's not like Meghan Markle is a stranger to breaking royal tradition (plenty of details from her royal wedding went against protocol), and she's actually been hugging commoner fans during royal appearances on multiple occasions.

Like this double-hug, for starters:

And check out this happy embrace:

And here she is hugging a pint-sized fan:

Is it just me, or does Meghan Markle look like she gives out some damn good hugs? Prince Harry is a lucky dude.

But Meghan isn't the only royal Duchess who breaks away from tradition when it comes to greeting pint-sized fans, because Kate Middleton is known for dishing out hugs to children on many occasions, too.

Look at her hugging this tiny, adorable human:

Get out of here with this overload of cuteness:

And this exchange is just too pure for words:

How could something so lovely as hugging be breaking royal protocol, though? Welllll. According to HBO’s royal family documentary, Queen of the World, it was said that the royal family wasn't supposed to even greet crowd-goers initially, but in the 1970s, the Queen loosened things up a bit by starting to greet the crowds. So, while there's technically no written rule saying that hugging is not permitted, it's still not considered typical behavior.

I'd say it's a good thing that we don't have any "typical" duchesses, then, isn't it?