Harry And Meghan's Wedding: Catholic Or Not?

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 was not a Catholic ceremony. Although Meghan Markle attended a Catholic school as a child, she is a Protestant and was baptised and confirmed in the Church of England before the wedding. Harry is a member of the Church of England, as is every other member of the royal family in England. The wedding ceremony was officiated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and followed the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony.

Meghan Markle was baptised and confirmed in the Church of England before marrying Prince Harry

Markle was raised Christian and attended a Catholic school in Los Angeles, but her parents never baptised her. Alternatively, she may have had a baptism that the Church of England did not recognise. For example, the Church of England does not accept baptisms unless they are conducted in the name of the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. If Markle was baptised only in the name of Jesus, she would need to be baptised again.

Although Markle did not need to become an Anglican to marry Harry, she chose to be baptised and confirmed out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II, who is the head of the Church of England. As a result of the baptism, Markle was able to take communion with Harry during their wedding ceremony.

The couple's wedding ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, using the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony. The wedding took place on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Prince Harry is a member of the Church of England

Prince Harry is a member of the British royal family and the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne. As such, he is a member of the Church of England, as is every single other member of the royal family in England. The monarch of the nation is the "Supreme Governor" of the Church of England.

The Church of England faith is not just a choice for Prince Harry, it is a part of the royal family dating back hundreds of years. The English monarchy was Catholic until King Henry VIII renounced the spiritual authority of the Papacy in 1534 and established the Church of England. The monarchy has remained Church of England for about 500 years.

Meghan Markle, on the other hand, was raised Protestant and attended a Catholic high school in Los Angeles. Before marrying Prince Harry, Markle was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

The wedding ceremony was Anglican

The wedding ceremony was held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The chapel has previously been the venue for the weddings of Prince Harry's uncle, the Earl of Wessex, and cousin, Peter Phillips. The choice of venue was significant, as the Church of England allows, in special circumstances, for people to remarry in the church even if their former spouse is still living. This decision is left up to the individual priest.

The wedding service was conducted according to the Christian liturgy for Holy Matrimony as set out in Common Worship of the Church of England, the mother Church of the Anglican Communion. The marriage vows were those published in Common Worship and included the promise "to love and to cherish" each other. This was sealed by the exchange of rings.

The ceremony included a notable sermon by Michael Curry, the presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church (the American member church of the Anglican Communion). Curry's sermon emphasised the redemptive property of love, drawing on the rhetoric of liberation theology and quoting Martin Luther King Jr. The music during the service included a gospel choir, with the Kingdom Choir singing "Stand By Me".

The wedding was held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held at St George's Chapel, located in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle, on 19 May 2018. The castle, founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and has been home to 40 monarchs over the last 1,000 years.

St George's Chapel, a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style, was founded in the 14th century by King Edward III and has been the site of many royal services, weddings and burials. The chapel is a Royal Peculiar, meaning it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch, and is also the Chapel of the Order of the Garter.

The wedding ceremony was conducted according to the Christian liturgy for Holy Matrimony as set out in Common Worship of the Church of England. The Dean of Windsor, David Conner, conducted the service, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, performing the marriage ceremony. The royal family announced that they would pay for the wedding, which was estimated to cost around £32 million.

The chapel holds personal significance for the royal family, as it has previously been the venue for the weddings of Prince Harry's uncle, the Earl of Wessex, and cousin, Peter Phillips. It was also the location for the blessing of the marriage of the then Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, Harry's stepmother.

The wedding was officiated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was officiated by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The ceremony took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, United Kingdom. While the wedding followed the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony, it notably incorporated elements of African-American culture.

The Archbishop of Canterbury played a significant role in the lead-up to the wedding as well. In March 2018, Meghan Markle, who is of Protestant faith, was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England by Welby at St. James's Palace. This step was necessary for Markle to be able to take communion with Prince Harry and the other attendants during the wedding mass. Additionally, as the Church of England allows remarriage in churches under certain circumstances, the Archbishop's blessing was crucial for the couple to have a full church wedding.

The choice of officiant and the religious aspects of the ceremony carried historical and cultural weight. The Church of England, of which the monarch is the Supreme Governor, has been the official religion of the royal family for centuries. As such, the wedding ceremony reflected the longstanding tradition of the Anglican monarchy. However, it is worth noting that the inclusion of African-American cultural elements in the ceremony marked a departure from purely traditional aristocratic Anglicanism.

The presence of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, as the officiant at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was not only a reflection of the couple's religious affiliation but also held symbolic significance within the context of the royal family and British history.

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