Harry's Wedding: No Communion

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was held on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The ceremony was a traditional Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony, but it notably did not include Communion. While the Church of England recommends that couples either include a Communion service during their wedding or take Communion shortly after, this was not a part of Harry and Meghan's wedding.

Meghan Markle was baptised before her wedding

Although raised a Christian, Markle's decision to be baptised before her wedding caused some surprise. The royal family has not commented on the reason for Markle's baptism, but there are several possible explanations. Firstly, although not required to be baptised in order to marry in the Church of England, Markle may have chosen to be baptised out of respect for the Queen's role as the head of the Church of England. Additionally, the Church of England recommends that couples either include a Communion service during their wedding or take Communion shortly after. As Communion requires confirmation in the Church of England or another Anglican church, Markle's baptism and subsequent confirmation would have allowed her to take part in Communion with Harry during their wedding ceremony.

There are also a couple of possibilities as to why Markle required baptism in the first place. One is that, although raised Protestant by her Protestant parents, she simply was never baptised as a child. The other is that she had previously been baptised in a way that the Church of England does not accept. The Church of England requires that baptisms be conducted in the name of the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. If Markle's previous baptism was only in the name of Jesus, for example, she would have needed to be baptised again.

The ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury's involvement in the wedding was not without controversy. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, claimed that she and Prince Harry had a secret marriage ceremony three days before the public event at Windsor Castle. She said that the couple had exchanged personal vows in their "backyard" with the Archbishop. However, the Archbishop of Canterbury denied this, stating that the legal wedding took place on the Saturday of the public ceremony, and that he would have committed a ""serious criminal offence" if he had signed the wedding certificate knowing it to be false. He confirmed that he had private and pastoral meetings with the couple before the wedding but refused to disclose what happened during those meetings.

The wedding ceremony itself was noted for its inclusion of African-American culture and the fiery sermon delivered by American Episcopal priest, Bishop Michael Curry. Curry's sermon, which emphasised the redemptive power of love, was a departure from the traditional aristocratic Anglican sermon expected at a royal wedding. He quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and referenced African-American spirituals and black enslavement in America. The sermon was seen as a symbol of the ways in which Meghan, as a divorced, American, and biracial woman, was working to affirm her identity within the marriage and the royal family.

The wedding included a fiery sermon from Bishop Michael Curry

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018 was an affair that broke from tradition in many ways. One of the most notable ways was the inclusion of a fiery sermon from Bishop Michael Curry.

Curry is the first African-American presiding bishop of the American Episcopal Church. His sermon, entitled "The Power of Love", was a meditation on the transformative power of love, not only for individuals and families but for the world. It had a strong theme of social justice, fitting for the wedding of a couple who have placed service at the centre of their roles in the royal family.

Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., controversial Catholic theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and referencing African-American spirituals and black enslavement in America, Curry’s sermon was a far cry from the "traditional," aristocratic Anglican sermon one might expect at a royal wedding. At nearly fifteen minutes long, the sermon emphasised the power of love. But the love Curry described wasn’t just romantic love. Rather, Curry was drawing on the rhetoric of liberation theology—a 20th-century theological tradition inspired by Marxist thought—to characterise love as a necessary, chaotic, and political force.

Curry said:

> When love is the way—unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive—when love is the way, then no child will 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.

Curry’s message was hugely symbolic of the role Meghan Markle might play within the royal family. As a divorced woman, an American, and a biracial woman, Markle has received media scrutiny and, at times, hostility from within the royal family itself. As someone who shares Markle’s Americanness and her heritage as a person of colour, Curry’s presence at the wedding symbolised the ways Markle and Harry are publicly working to affirm her identity within the marriage.

The Church of England's position on divorce

The Church of England has historically been opposed to divorce, with some traditionalists still believing that "marriage means forever, full stop". From the medieval age until the 19th century, the Church of England was firmly against divorce, and even after divorce became legal, remarriage was a complicated issue.

In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne because the Church of England would not approve of his marriage to Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American. The Church of England also did not officiate the marriage of Princess Margaret and the divorced Captain Peter Townsend in 1953, as Queen Elizabeth II did not want to be seen as condoning divorce.

However, the Church of England's position has evolved over time. In 2002, the Church's conservative governing body, the synod, accepted that divorce is a reality of modern life and allowed priests to offer second and third marriages in "exceptional cases" to divorced members whose former spouses were still alive. Since then, several members of the royal family have divorced and remarried, including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Charles.

While the Church of England has become more accepting of divorce and remarriage, there are still some vicars who are uncomfortable with the idea of remarrying divorced individuals in a church. Ultimately, the decision to allow a divorced person to marry in a church is left to the discretion of the individual vicar, and the Church of England recognises that some marriages do fail for a variety of sad and painful reasons.

The wedding's musical choices

The musical choices for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were varied and eclectic, reflecting the couple's tastes and backgrounds. The ceremony, which took place on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, featured a mix of classical, gospel, and popular music.

The prelude to the ceremony included works by British composers such as Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Peter Warlock. The orchestra, conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, performed pieces like "Salut d'Amour" and "Fantasia on Greensleeves."

For the entrance of the bride, Meghan Markle chose "Eternal Source of Light Divine" by Handel, originally composed in 1713 to mark the birthday of Queen Anne. The hymn "Lord of All Hopefulness", with its traditional folk tune, was also sung during the ceremony.

One of the most memorable musical moments was the impassioned sermon by American Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry, who quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and referenced African-American spirituals.

During the signing of the register, 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason performed a beautiful arrangement of Sicilienne" by Paradis, "Après un rêve" by Fauré, and "Ave Maria" by Schubert.

The choir of St George's Chapel performed the motet "If Ye Love Me" by Thomas Tallis, showcasing their exquisite poise and tuning. Another unique musical choice was the choral version of the classic "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King, performed by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir.

The procession included "Symphony No. 1 in B-flat – Allegro" by William Boyce and "Amen/This Little Light of Mine" by Etta James, a gospel song that hinted at the American influence on the wedding.

The musical selections for the wedding reflected the couple's personal tastes and incorporated elements from both British and American traditions, creating a memorable and meaningful atmosphere for their special day.

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