Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Church Service, Carriage Procession - May 19, 2018

[JR76]

Princess Alexandra got married there, and she's not a particularly senior Royal.

At the time of her wedding Princess Alexandra was a senior working royal and one of the most high-profile and popular members of the family.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The order of service for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle:

https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/order_of_service.pdf

The order of service was taken from from the Church of England's Common Worship text.

https://www.churchofengland.org/pra...s-and-resources/common-worship/marriage#mm095

Even though it is the normal order of service for weddings in the Church of England since 2000, the Common Worship marriage rite has only been used this once in a televised British royal wedding. The weddings of Prince William and Kate Middleton and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank used the alternative "Series One" marriage service.

Some of the differences between the two services:

1. The default order of service has the bride giving a wedding ring to the groom as an option.
2. The alternative order of service has the bride vowing to obey the groom as an option.
3. Giving away the bride is optional in the default service, but it is mandatory in the alternative service.

Correction: Both services give the bride a choice to vow or not to vow to obey her husband, so this has been a decision faced by every royal bride who has married since 1963. (Grooms have so far not been given the option of vowing to obey their wives.)

 

[tommy100]

Remember Edward and Sophie had married in Windsor June 1999, the last big royal wedding. I think times have moved on from every member of the RF being able to have a London - WA - wedding. Such a wedding in a high profile place in the middle of London required much more security and logistics than ever before. I was surprised tbh that Beatrice had planned a wedding at St James but then it is very close to Buckingham Palace and many of the family could walk fro their St James' apartments to the Chapel and others driven the short distance from BP to St James. I think Westminster Abbey weddings are now reserved pretty much or direct heirs. Given that according to a number of sources Harry and Meghan had already planned on moving from the UK, taking on commercial ventures, worried about privacy etc I'm not surprised a Windsor wedding was planned.

 

[Blog Real]

Video of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a carriage on their wedding day:

 

[Alisa]

The royal family was not use to seeing or hearing a man like Bishop Curry preach. Still they could've behaved better.

Show claims royals 'appeared amused' at Harry and Meghan's wedding

Episode five of Inside the House of Windsor, which streams on ITVX on Thursday evening, examines Prince Harry's complicated relationship with the royal family as the 'spare'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Heavs]

The royal family was not use to seeing or hearing a man like Bishop Curry preach. Still they could've behaved better.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...Currys-wedding-sermon-documentary-claims.html

I've heard both Justin Welby and Rowan Williams go off on similar sermons to Bishop Curry (both are from the evangelical side of the COE and Bishop Curry is a friend of Welby's and *he* arranged for Curry to speak) but yes they didn't tend to do so during royal ceremonies. Which I think was the reason several members of the family appeared surprised. As were many of the audience watching - there were many articles about whether it was appropriate at the time and if it went on for too long (which it did IMO).

Although I think the commentary that HM, Harry and Meghan were deeply moved whilst everyone else was laughing is inaccurate though.

 

[Alisa]

I've heard both Justin Welby and Rowan Williams go off on similar sermons to Bishop Curry (both are from the evangelical side of the COE and Bishop Curry is a friend of Welby's and *he* arranged for Curry to speak) but yes they didn't tend to do so during royal ceremonies. Which I think was the reason several members of the family appeared surprised. As were many of the audience watching - there were many articles about whether it was appropriate at the time and if it went on for too long (which it did IMO).

Although I think the commentary that HM, Harry and Meghan were deeply moved whilst everyone else was laughing is inaccurate though.

It mattered not how long it lasted. It was part of the wedding program along with the other elements and should have been respected as such. Not EVERYONE were laughing but key senior members and lesser members ( I distinctly remembered the Tindalls) seemed to be laughing and poking fun at Bishop Curry. Incredibly inappropriate.

 

[JR76]

I've heard both Justin Welby and Rowan Williams go off on similar sermons to Bishop Curry (both are from the evangelical side of the COE and Bishop Curry is a friend of Welby's and *he* arranged for Curry to speak) but yes they didn't tend to do so during royal ceremonies. Which I think was the reason several members of the family appeared surprised. As were many of the audience watching - there were many articles about whether it was appropriate at the time and if it went on for too long (which it did IMO).

Although I think the commentary that HM, Harry and Meghan were deeply moved whilst everyone else was laughing is inaccurate though.

It mattered not how long it lasted. It was part of the wedding program along with the other elements and should have been respected as such. Not EVERYONE were laughing but key senior members and lesser members ( I distinctly remembered the Tindalls) seemed to be laughing and poking fun at Bishop Curry. Incredibly inappropriate.

I laughed. You were meant to laugh. The Bishop invited people to laugh by what he said and how he said it. Especially when he said "I will sit down, we gotta get you all married" I laughed out loud. It's not inappropriate to laugh at a wedding when celebrating love and joy. Also the few times when we thought it was over the bishop went on speaking made me, and people in the chapel, laugh.
The many comments about Zara Tindall looking shocked during the sermon are based on one capture of her and taken out of context. Her daughter were born a month after the wedding and Zara was visibly uncomfortable in the wooden pews during large parts of the service.

 

[Denville]

I think a lot of the congregation grinned or smirked because it was so long and not very appropriate.

 

[TLLK]

I laughed. You were meant to laugh. The Bishop invited people to laugh by what he said and how he said it. Especially when he said "I will sit down, we gotta get you all married" I laughed out loud. It's not inappropriate to laugh at a wedding when celebrating love and joy. Also the few times when we thought it was over the bishop went on speaking made me, and people in the chapel, laugh.
The many comments about Zara Tindall looking shocked during the sermon are based on one capture of her and taken out of context. Her daughter were born a month after the wedding and Zara was visibly uncomfortable in the wooden pews during large parts of the service.

Considering that Bishop Curry made that lighthearted remark, he was acknowledging the length of his sermon and knew it was the right moment to let the congregation laugh which is entirely appropriate at a wedding IMHO.

I also remember that moment when the cameras focused in on Zara's facial expression. My first thought was that she was having a strong Braxton Hicks contraction while sitting on a very uncomfortable choir stall seat.

 

[Alisa]

I laughed. You were meant to laugh. The Bishop invited people to laugh by what he said and how he said it. Especially when he said "I will sit down, we gotta get you all married" I laughed out loud. It's not inappropriate to laugh at a wedding when celebrating love and joy. Also the few times when we thought it was over the bishop went on speaking made me, and people in the chapel, laugh.
The many comments about Zara Tindall looking shocked during the sermon are based on one capture of her and taken out of context. Her daughter were born a month after the wedding and Zara was visibly uncomfortable in the wooden pews during large parts of the service.

The article and my post are referring to solemn moments of the ceremony where some of the family were inappropriately snickering, stifling a laugh, and laughing. I never commented about Zara looking shocked during the ceremony. She herself clarified why she looked stunned as she was very understandably uncomfortable. My grievance (if you'll call it that) was with the snickering and laughing. Completely inappropriate!

 

[Denville]

so where were the congregation giggling at solemn moments?