Meghan Markle Will Break Tradition and Give Her Own Wedding Speech

Meghan Markle continues to stare down centuries of royal tradition and says, “Okay, that’s nice and all, but I’m just going to do things my way.” While she’s not exactly taking a sledgehammer to years of royal protocol, she does seem to have a habit of quietly sidestepping traditions that seem woefully outdated, uncomfortably stuffy, or rooted in sexism. She spent Christmas with the royal family despite not having officially married into the clan yet, showing off her shoulders if it pleases her, and rocking a messy bun now and again.

According to The Sunday Times, she’ll upend another Windsor formality by deciding to give a speech at her own wedding reception.

See, apparently the royals have a rule where the only people who get to speak are the groom, the best man, and the bride’s father. Putting a strict limit on the amount of people who can speak at a wedding is generally an idea we can get behind (no one really needs to hear the groom’s university roommate slur through some story of their Cambridge days, frankly), but the current royal rules seem pretty patriarchal and are based on old ideas that basically equated marriage of a transfer of control of a woman from her dad to her new husband. It is a holdover from a bygone time, especially considering the royals now follow succession rules that are gender neutral (for the first time in history, eldest daughters of a monarch can now inherent the throne, even if they have a younger brother).

Though, Markle’s tradition-breaking decision also stems in part from the fact that Markle’s father Thomas, a retired lighting director, is a private man. He will be walking his daughter down the aisle, but apparently isn’t up to delivering a rousing speech.

Instead, Markle will just do it herself. The Times suggests she’ll give an “affectionate” tribute to her husband, thank her family and friends, and give a special shot out to the Queen. “There may even be a couple of jokes,” reports the paper. Throwing in a few jokes during her wedding speech actually won’t be a break from tradition: Indeed, Prince Harry’s own best man speech at Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton was said to leave attendees in absolute stitches.

Harry’s speech at his own wedding, we assume, may be a bit more heartfelt, but hopefully Prince William gets to return the favor with a few jokes of his own. Though, it has not been confirmed yet that he’ll indeed serve as best man, even if it is widely assumed.

Related: What Scottish Titles Will Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Get When They Marry?