With less than a week to go before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially become husband and wife, the Palace has revealed some final details about the highly anticipated wedding – and it includes a very special nod to Meghan’s heritage.
The Palace announced on Friday that American bishop Michael Bruce Curry will speak at the couple’s church service alongside the Dean of Windsor David Conner, who will conduct the service, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will officiate as the couple make their marriage vows.
Curry, who is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in America, will give the address at the wedding in front of an estimated 600 guests and will serve as a lasting tie to Meghan’s own roots in her home country.
Curry is the first African-American to have served as the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop, a role he has held since 2015.
The US-based Episcopal Church was born from the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and retains strong connections with the mother church in the Anglican Communion. As head of the Church of England and the Monarchy, the Queen would have approved Curry’s involvement in the day – a touching gesture that British media outlets are saying is a sign of her affection for Meghan.
Meghan’s own father Thomas, who will walk her down the aisle, is a Episcopalian, while her mother Doria is a Protestant.
While her background is far from traditional for the royal family, the entire clan has embraced Meghan and her relationship with Harry. The Queen even took the unusual step of inviting the actress to spend Christmas with the family before she and Harry had wed — something she didn’t even allow for Prince William and Catherine.
The same day the Palace announced Bishop Curry’s role in the ceremony, it also released an image of the official Instrument of Consent, the hand-written document which records the Queen’s consent to the couple’s marriage.
The impressive document is drafted by the Crown Office and is, in the case of Harry’s marriage, hand-written and illuminated on vellum by one of a panel of scrivener artists retained by the Crown Office. According to the Palace, Vellum is used only for important State documents.
“The design to the left of the text incorporates a red dragon, the heraldic symbol of Wales, together with the UK’s floral emblems – the rose, thistle and shamrock. It also features Prince Harry’s Label, including three tiny red escallops from the Spencer family Arms,” the Palace said.
In a further nod to Meghan’s heritage, the design to the right of the text also includes a rose, the national flower of the United States, and two golden poppies – the state flower of California, where Meghan was born.
While the couple’s wedding invites used the actresses stage name, Meghan, which is actually her middle name, this official document refers to her by her first name, Rachel.
It reads: “NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, K.C.V.O., and Rachel Meghan Markle.”
Harry and Meghan will be married this coming Saturday (May 19) at St George’s Chapel at Windsor castle. More than 600 guests are expected to attend the ceremony, before a more private and intimate reception that evening.
Thousands of well-wishers are expected to line the streets as the couple take their official carriage ride through the town after the service, with millions more watching on television and cheering them on as they start their new life together.
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