In a display of true royal wonder, two of the world’s most inspiring women (and their husbands) came together during the red-carpet premiere for the new live-action rendition of The Lion King in London. Here’s what happened: Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and Beyoncé, AKA Queen Bey, met, hugged, and talked with one another in a display so perfect that, yes, the world basically exploded. How could we possibly handle all of that magic at once?
If you’ve been hiding under a rock and are totally lost, allow us to fill you in: The Lion King, one of the most beloved animated films ever, has been remade. This remake is computer animated and features the voices of stars like Donald Glover, James Earl Jones, Seth Rogen, John Kani, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter herself. This all-powerful, star-studded remake is set for release in theaters on July 19, 2019.
After this meeting of the Goddesses, the internet got more than a little chatty alleging that Beyoncé violated royal protocol.
Why? Because she walked after Meghan and Prince Harry on the red carpet, which is a huge faux pas.
According to Entertainment Tonight, “a source tells ET that the songstress and her husband, JAY-Z, breached royal protocol by arriving after Prince Harry and Meghan. The source adds that, when Beyoncé and her hubby did arrive, they ‘completely upstaged’ the royals, even getting a bigger cheer from the throng of onlookers who had congregated in Leicester Square.”
Look — we’re not the only ones thinking it, so we’ll just come out and say it:
Whether Bey and Jay showed up at the beginning or the end of the procession, they would end up upstaging anyone, anywhere, anytime. That’s just a fact of life. Not to mention that Beyoncé actually worked on the movie!
And that’s not the only rule Bey and Jay broke.
Apparently, they arrived with an insane amount of security — way, way more than the royals had.
In the end, what matters is that these two forces came together in a show of hope and power.
What does it really matter whether someone came earlier or later than the other, or had more or less security?
Besides, if we had won 23 Grammy Awards (and earned 66 nominations, making Bey the most-nominated woman in Grammy history), we’d go ahead and show up whenever we pleased, too.
Just look at that warm hug between Meghan and Beyonce. We’re getting chills!
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But this has sparked the question:
Are people supposed to hug the royals, and are the royals supposed to hug people?
Obviously Meghan didn’t seem to mind — she even embraced Jay-Z in a hug and got quite cozy with Beyoncé. Although, if we’re honest… it does look like Jay-Z probably didn’t really know what to do!
To answer the question, the royals do hug people from time to time (and have received hugs, too), even if they’re not supposed to. Like when Michelle Obama hugged the queen.
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According to an interview with BBC, Kate Williams, a British historian, hugs were generally off-limits because, during medieval times, “monarchs were divinely appointed to rule by God, so they were kind of seen as gods, so they demanded to be treated as gods.”
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We’d say Beyoncé is also a divine being, so…
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Anyways, Meghan and Harry seemed to love meeting Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Just look at these pics!
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These are two true power couples who continuously inspire the masses to be more philanthropic, compassionate, and inclusive. And we love to see them come together!
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This isn’t the first time they thought of one another, though.
Bey and Jay included a portrait of Meghan Markle in their video for Ape*hit:
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This is some pretty powerful stuff — so we love to see that they finally all met. Not to mention the fact that Beyoncé also wrote a beautiful tribute to Meghan on her website.
But the love is very mutual.
Back when Meghan was still on social media, she shared a few snaps channeling Queen Bey:
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In this one, she channels Beyoncé with her purse, stating, “Hot sauce in my bag.” It’s almost like a different life, now!
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And in this one, Meghan snaps a picture at a party she held to honor Bey, calling her “noble.” Little did she know.
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