Harry's Wedding: A Priestly Affair

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was presided over by Bishop Michael Curry, a black Episcopal priest from Chicago. This was a break from tradition, as it is customary for British priests to preside over royal occasions. Curry is the first African-American bishop of the predominantly white Episcopal Church and is known for his social justice work. His sermon at the wedding transfixed the elite crowd and television audience with its powerful message of love.

Harry and Meghan's wedding broke royal tradition by having Bishop Michael Curry preside over the ceremony

Harry and Meghan's wedding broke with royal tradition in several ways, one of which was having Bishop Michael Curry preside over the ceremony. A descendant of slaves, Curry is the first African-American leader of the predominantly white US Episcopal Church. His presence at the wedding was symbolic of how Harry and Meghan were publicly working to affirm her identity within the marriage. As a divorced woman, an American, and a biracial woman, Meghan has received disproportionate media scrutiny and, at times, hostility from within the royal family.

Curry's sermon was another way in which the wedding broke with tradition. In it, he referenced African-American spirituals and black enslavement in America, and quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. His sermon was a call to action, emphasising the social and political power of love in the face of social injustice. He preached:

> "When love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actually a family."

Royal weddings are usually presided over by senior members of the Church of England, and customarily only British priests are invited to preside over royal occasions. However, it was Curry who delivered the strongest message of love to the audience.

Curry's sermon was one of three moments during the royal wedding that moved one commentator, who wrote:

> "I had expected to remain full of cold indignation at the pomp and aristocratic indulgence of the day, at the preparatory shooing of the homeless off the streets of Windsor by police officers who should be tending to more important things like knife crime, at the £32m shamelessly spent amid the rising presence of food banks and child poverty."

Bishop Curry's sermon was a passionate call to action, quoting Martin Luther King Jr

Bishop Curry's sermon at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a passionate call to action, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. on the "redemptive power of love". The Bishop's address began with a quotation from King's 1957 sermon on "Loving Your Enemies", delivered at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In this sermon, King spoke of the power of love to transform the world, and how it can be a force for resistance and change.

Bishop Curry's sermon emphasised that love is not just a romantic force, but a necessary, chaotic, and political one. He referenced African-American spirituals, black enslavement in America, and the rhetoric of liberation theology—a 20th-century theological tradition inspired by Marxist thought. Curry's message was a surprising and inspiring break from the traditional aristocratic Anglican sermons expected at a royal wedding. It was a call to action, urging those present and watching to imagine a world where "love is the way".

The choice of quotation was particularly fitting for Markle, an American bride with an African-American mother, as she was welcomed into the royal family with the words of one of the most powerful orators of the civil rights movement. Curry's sermon was a powerful statement, reminding the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the world, of the importance of love in the face of social injustice.

The sermon was also a bold statement of social justice and racial reconciliation

The Sermon: A Bold Statement of Social Justice and Racial Reconciliation

The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was an event steeped in tradition, but one aspect that stood out and captured the world's attention was the impassioned sermon delivered by Bishop Michael Curry. Departing from customary royal protocol, the presence and words of this American Episcopal priest made a bold statement about social justice and racial reconciliation.

Bishop Curry, the first African-American leader of the US Episcopal Church, delivered a fiery and unexpected sermon that drew on the rhetoric of liberation theology. His words emphasised the power of love, not as a romantic notion but as a necessary, chaotic, and political force capable of overturning social injustice. Quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and the Biblical Book of Amos, Bishop Curry painted a utopian vision:

> "When love is the way -- unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive, when love is the way. Then no child would go to bed hungry in this world ever again. When love is the way. We will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook. When love is the way poverty will become history. When love is the way the earth will become a sanctuary. When love is the way we will lay down our swords and shields down by the riverside to study war no more. When love is the way there’s plenty good room, plenty good room for all of God’s children."

This message, delivered with rhythm and music in the style of the traditional African-American church, was a stark contrast to the reserved nature of the Anglican establishment. It was a call for social justice and a challenge to the aristocratic indulgence of the day. The Bishop's sermon also referenced African-American spirituals and black enslavement in America, acknowledging the complicity of the institution in oppression.

The presence of Bishop Curry, who has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights and racial justice, was symbolic of the couple's commitment to affirming Meghan's identity as a biracial woman and her American heritage. It sent a powerful message of racial reconciliation and social justice to the world, using one of the biggest platforms to showcase an Anglicanism rooted in these values.

The Impact: A Groundbreaking Moment for the Anglican Communion

The significance of Bishop Curry's sermon extended beyond the wedding ceremony. As mainline, historically progressive Protestant traditions lose members, Bishop Curry's message helped to revive an Anglicanism rooted in social justice, religious engagement, and the radical power of Christian love. His words gave new life to a faith tradition that has often been accused of religious disengagement, challenging the studied neutrality of the Royal Family and offering a fierce and inspiring example of the Anglican tradition at its best.

The sermon's impact was felt by those in attendance, with their expressions ranging from empathy to confusion to scorn. It was a moment when the enduring seat of colonialism was brought before the Lord and questioned within its own house, and it continues to resonate as a groundbreaking moment in the history of the Anglican Communion.

Harry and Meghan's wedding was held in a church, unlike Harry's father's

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The groom is a member of the British royal family; the bride is American and had previously worked as an actress, blogger, charity ambassador, and advocate.

The choice of venue differed from Harry's father's wedding, which took place at Westminster Abbey. St George's Chapel has a capacity of 800 people, while Westminster Abbey can hold 2,000. Royal biographer Andrew Morton commented that Harry and Meghan's choice of venue was indicative of their desire to be "not full-on attention-seeking royals". He added that the smaller, more intimate space of St George's Chapel was "more like the wedding of Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones. They're a more low-key couple".

On the morning of the wedding, Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, conferred upon him the titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, and Baron Kilkeel. Markle became a princess of the United Kingdom and gained the style Her Royal Highness and titles Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton, and Baroness Kilkeel. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated at the wedding using the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony published in Common Worship, a liturgical text of the Church of England.

The wedding ceremony included elements of African-American culture and was noted for its departure from tradition typically associated with the royal family. The wedding was also significant because Markle was the first person of mixed-race heritage to marry into the British royal family.

Meghan chose to walk down the aisle with her father-in-law, Prince Charles

Meghan Markle chose to walk down the aisle with her father-in-law, Prince Charles

In a break from tradition, Meghan Markle was escorted down the aisle by her father-in-law, Prince Charles, at her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. The decision was made after Meghan's own father, Thomas Markle Sr., was unable to attend the ceremony due to medical reasons.

In the lead-up to the wedding, Thomas Markle Sr. had been involved in a scandal where he was caught staging paparazzi photos. The stress of the situation led to a heart attack, and he was unable to travel from the US to London for the wedding.

In an upcoming BBC documentary, *Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70*, Prince Harry opens up about the moment he asked his father to walk his fiancée down the aisle:

> I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming and he immediately said, 'Yes, of course, I’ll do whatever Meghan needs and I’m here to support you.' [...] For him, that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know he’s our father so of course he’s gonna be there for us.

On the day of the wedding, as Charles and Meghan approached Harry, the groom whispered, "Thank you, Pa" to his father. Harry later commented on this sweet gesture, saying:

> You’ve gotta say thank you. Just because he’s my father that doesn’t mean I can just sort of go, 'Okay, that’s all, I’ll take it from here.' Err, no, that is what I wanted to say but erm… and I was very grateful for him to be able to do that.

Meghan's father, Thomas, expressed his gratitude that Prince Charles could stand in for him, telling TMZ that he was "honoured and grateful" to Harry's father for walking his daughter down the aisle. Thomas also shared his thoughts in an interview with *Good Morning Britain* after the wedding:

> I can't think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles. He looked very handsome and my daughter looked beautiful with him. I was jealous, I wish it was me, but thank God he was there.

The decision for Prince Charles to walk Meghan down the aisle was a touching moment that demonstrated the support and love within the royal family. It also showed their willingness to adapt to unexpected circumstances and put Meghan's needs first on her wedding day.

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