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

[HereditaryPrincess]

I think the wedding service was lovely. It definitely was unconventional; but it was rather refreshing. I was hopeful about Bishop Curry but I have to say that I was rather disappointed by his speech and agree that it seemed out of place with the rest of the service. The first half was fine, but when he went off on a tangent and started to improvise, it began to feel rather strange. I guess being a member of the CofE I'm not used to such a service style.
I've really warmed up to Prince Charles lately. He was such a gentleman to Doria, and it's clear that the two appear to be rather close. It was really nice how he held her hand and walked her down the steps with Camilla as she was alone (Doria and Meghan took the whole Thomas Markle debacle in their strides). He clearly wanted to make sure she enjoyed her daughter's special day despite being without a partner to go with.
It was great that Zara could make it too, I have a feeling we'll see Baby Tindall very soon! The little bridesmaids were adorable, but especially Princess Charlotte. If it weren't a wedding she would have definitely stolen the show. Such a little character! Florence van Cutsem is also the spitting image of her cousin Grace.

 

[PrincePatrick]

She did curtsy. It was just shoddy camera work.

Did Meghan Curtsy to the Queen at the Royal Wedding? Yes | Time

Ugh! How annoying! If I were her I'd be a little pissed because now you've got a ton of people thinking she somehow disrespected the Queen or something. Glad news orgs are addressing it at least.

 

[RoyalHighness 2002]

I guess we need to educate royal experts now, I was just watching CNN and one of the commentators they had on said something like" since Meghan is inferior to Kate, she must curtsey to her". There's no hope for the general public to understand the order of precedence if the people that are supposed to inform them can't

Anyways the ceremony was very moving and youthful for me. The processional was so beautiful and powerful. I felt like certain pieces of the service were a little out of place but I think that's just because we aren't used to them at British royal weddings. All in all, I wish TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex a happy and healthy marriage.

 

[Ish]

Seeing pictures of them leaving I notice Ivy doesn't have a wreath on her head. You see her with the Litt girls up front, and she is the only one. I didn't notice earlier, did she have one on arrival and ditch it?

Looking at pictures of them arriving, it looks like one of the girls (I think Ivy) has longer hair than the others and so had her hair pulled up in a ponytail; instead of wearing a wreath, she has flowers clipped on top of the ponytail.


Unless I'm wrong and that's not Ivy - the picture I'm looking at (here) only shows 5 of the girls.

 

[Florestane]

Lovely service that represented a mixture of modernity and tradition. The hymns and music were lovely. I thought the sermon was great - perhaps a little long but done well.

 

[LauraS3514]

Thoughts on today's wedding of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: I stayed up all night and fell asleep around 5:30 or so.

The tiara was from Queen Mary and hadn’t been seen since the late 40s or thereabouts; the center jewel was a brooch she received as a wedding gift in 1893. Prince George looked less than thrilled and Princess Charlotte looked so grown-up! Most of the congregation didn’t know quite what to think about the Episcopal bishop - Anglican services are usually more sedate - but this was actually toned down quite a bit from a usual African-American sermon. Diana’s sister Lady Jane gave the scripture reading and was on the steps at the end with the immediate family. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie played it safe fashion-wise this time around and I don't blame them. Zara Tindall (Princess Anne's daughter) looked ready to pop and during the register signing almost looked like she'd gone into labor - the baby must have been doing cartwheels. Prince Philip looked really good for an almost-97 year-old man who had hip replacement less than two months ago. Catherine looked very tired but then Prince Louis is only three weeks old.

 

[Juliette2]

The DM has reported Rev. Curry's embarrassing sermon but so different from what he has actually said...interesting...I'm still cringing...

US bishop Michael Curry raises eyebrows at the royal wedding | Daily Mail Online

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Yes the sermon was 'different', but I'm sure most of the Royal Family have sat through much worse.

Maybe not a good idea to bang on so much about 'fire', so close to Windsor Castle??!

LOL!! Great observation!

My problem with Bishop Curry is the same one I
would have had if he had been a droning, flat orator...he went on far too long. Almost as bad as his overly theatrical delivery. He needed to chop at least five minutes off.

He started off wonderfully by alluding to the beautifully read Song of Solomon, but frankly it went downhill from there.

Never use 20 minutes when 10 will do.

My sister called and said she saw guests in the congregation snickering and rolling their eyes but I honestly did not see it get that bad.

Maybe it happened when I went to make my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

[LadyGlendower]

Totally ticked off that I had to Zapruder the tape in order to see Meghan's curtsey to the Queen----and had to call my husband into the room, pointing to the screen, to show me when it happened! ?

Other than that....what a splendid wedding. Sigh.

 

[Denville]

Of course it was disrespectful. It wasn’t the length but the level of enthusiasm that made them uncomfortable as it was unusual for them to witness it, imo

what about Harry and Megahn giggling much of the way through the service.

 

[crm2317]

I didn’t really like the fashions of the bridal children. The girls dresses looked to be ill-fitting and the boys uniforms were too dark and somber for such a spring/summer wedding. Don’t get me wrong, they were all super cute and so well behaved I just didn’t particularly like the outfits chosen for them.

 

[Lee27]

Think about it ...... from birth Harry has been trained to bow to the Queen. He would never forget. Never. BBC for what ever reason changed camera angle just as they bowed.

 

[Pranter]

I think the bride and groom are allowed to show some nerves....it is more or less expected.


LaRae

 

[princess carmen]

I think Harry and Meghan were being themselves, laughing and enjoying the moment.
This wasn't a funeral but a joyous event and who better to enjoy it than the bride and groom. I found this wedding wonderful , fun and different not stuffy or even overly grand even for a royal wedding.

 

[Juliette2]

what about Harry and Megahn giggling much of the way through the service.

What was disrespectful was not the guests reacting to the sermon, but the mentioning of Facebook and Instagram at a Royal wedding, making ridiculous jokes, talking about slavery, bringing you iPad and speaking like a second-rate televangelist...

 

[Denville]

What has that to do with Harry and Meg giggling?

 

[Florestane]

What was disrespectful was not the guests reacting to the sermon, but the mentioning of Facebook and Instagram at a Royal wedding, making ridiculous jokes, talking about slavery, bringing you iPad and speaking like a second-rate televangelist...

Seriously? How was mentioning social media disrespectful? What's wrong with making jokes or using an iPad?
I can understand the sermon wasn't to everyone's taste but I don't get how any of those things are disrespectful...

 

[LadyGlendower]

Bishop Curry was engaging and full of life. I loved his theme of love but lost track of it when he transitioned to fire.
As the popular internet meme reminds us, there is a thin line between a long sermon and a hostage situation!

 

[Denville]

Seriously? How was mentioning social media disrespectful? What's wrong with making jokes or using an iPad?
I can understand the sermon wasn't to everyone's taste but I don't get how any of those things are disrespectful...

I didn't hear the sermon bit but I have heard people criticising it...I don't know why he was using an I pad.. what's wrong with paper notes...

 

[Moonmaiden23]

It won't go down on my list of most beautiful Royal wedding liturgies, but it was definitely a truly memorable one. The highlight was Meghan, almost too elegant and beautiful, walking alone up the aisle to that haunting soloist and being met halfway by the PoW.

Harry's long, emotional and adoring gaze at her when she reached the altar will stay in my mind a long time.

Charlotte Cambridge is a budding superstar in case anyone still doubts. She was waving before she even left the car and then flashed a Cheshire cat grin at someone in the congregation on her way up the aisle. No shrinking violet THAT one!

The Prince of Wales has his detractors, but if he is not the most gracious of men he is a hell of a fine actor. His gentle courtesy to the bride's mother and sweet generosity toward Meghan defines what it means to have a truly noble soul, imo.

That kind of class simply cannot be learned or faked.

One is born with it.

 

[princess carmen]

However he could read it was fine with Meghan and Harry and I don't think it bothered them. People just seem to find something to nit pick about.

 

[LadyGlendower]

I

The Prince of Wales has his detractors, but if he is not the most gracious of men he is a hell of a fine actor. His gentle courtesy to the bride's mother and sweet generosity toward Meghan defines what it means to have a truly noble soul, imo.

That kind of class simply cannot be learned or faked.

One is born with it.

And now it happens. Your description of his act of kindness brought me to tears. Well said.

 

[Florestane]

I didn't hear the sermon bit but I have heard people criticising it...I don't know why he was using an I pad.. what's wrong with paper notes...

Nothing. But what's wrong with an iPad if that's what he normally uses? Saves paper as well...

 

[Juliette2]

However he could read it was fine with Meghan and Harry and I don't think it bothered them. People just seem to find something to nit pick about.

Just look at Prince Harry's face.

 

[M. Payton]

My impressions on the wedding:

Overall it was a beautiful, simple (considering that it was a royal affair) wedding! Beautiful, sunny day!

The dress The dress was beautiful. Very simple and flattering. A bit plain, but better plain than too ornate in my opinion, plus, it really reflected the bride's style. The tiara was pretty. The make-up was ok although I didn't like the colour of the lipstick. The hair was pretty bad. I was hoping that at least today we would be spared wisps of hair flying all over but it was not to be! She still has a Hollywood walk to me, but wasn't very noticeable today.

The page boys and bridesmaids The bridesmaids' dresses were nothing special. The fabric wasn't great and it looked like they had a sort of "train" in the back. The pageboys' outfits were too somber.

The Royal Family Everybody looked great! Lady Louise's outfit did not impress me. The cropped jacket was hideous. It looked like a hand-me down. The Countess of Wessex looked great as Zara, Eugenie and Beatrice. Sarah Ferguson looked great, too. I loved the Duchess of Cambridge's outfits but too pale, it really looked white.

The Ceremony Prince Charles was wonderful. The reading by Diana's sister very moving BUT...the American bishop was absolutely EMBARRASSING. This ruined the entire ceremony for me. The tone (with the well-timed, ridiculous "stand-up comedian" jokes) was fake (as many American preachers are), the message about technology, the reference to Facebook and Instagram (REALLY??!!?) was really evil, the reference to slavery out of place. It looked like everybody was blindsided by his sermon. Who chose him??!! Prince Harry looked clueless, taken completely by surprise. He seemed shocked and then cross and his expression seemed to say : "We'll be remembered as a joke for this." Cringe-worthy sermon. The jokes were toe-curling, inappropriate. The tone so fake he might as well started to wave his arms chanting "Alleluja". Such a controversial choice, too. Very political bishop. Wrong. Just wrong.
The gospel chorus was nice but the song could have been better. The cellist was great but very common choice in terms of music.

The guests MM's mum looked great. It seemed she took a leaf out of Carol Middleton's bridal choices with her outfit! Generally, it seemed more of a Hollywood wedding than a royal one. Oprah??!! And now, tell me she doesn't have an agenda and didn't meet with Doria...Come on. Pippa Middleton looked great and it was nice to see that the Middleton Sr. were invited. Unexpected.

Hum......that thought crossed my mind when I saw Oprah for she never does anything without a solid reason!

Loved everything about the wedding except for Hollywood yet understand why they were invited. Must say that Doria looked like she had tears in her eyes when Charles gave Meghan to Harry, that smile said it all. And she looked absolutely gorgeous in her outfit and hat.

 

[Countessmeout]

Looking at pictures of them arriving, it looks like one of the girls (I think Ivy) has longer hair than the others and so had her hair pulled up in a ponytail; instead of wearing a wreath, she has flowers clipped on top of the ponytail.


Unless I'm wrong and that's not Ivy - the picture I'm looking at (here) only shows 5 of the girls.

Yes that is Ivy. And thanks for the pic. Makes sense, has the flowers just not the wreath

All 6 girls are in the pic, one is just partially blocked by Jessica. Photos I have seen Ivy was paired with the Litt girls, and Charlotte walked with Harry's 2 goddaughters. Same with the boys, the Mulroney twins together doing the veil. Jasper and George together.

 

[christinacg]

Okay I keep missing it, but what is everyone laughing about when Archbishop asks if he will honor her ect and the he says I will. Everyone laughs... at what? Driving me crazy lol

They're laughing because the can hear the crowds outside cheering after he says "I will". I remember the same situation from W-A and Maxima's wedding to the point that their minister said "they can hear you!" Its very cute.

 

[Marengo]

I suppose most of the public will not mind that there were more Hollywood stars and less royals. In general a very select few group of royalty watchers will be interested in seeing the count of Ulster or f.e. Pss Astrid of Belgium at such an event. The vast majority of people finds it more interesting to see Oprah, Clooney, Serena Williams and the Beckhams.

Having them attend such a ceremony could even be considered a clever PR strategy. I think for example that this wedding got more press attention in my country than the wedding of our own Prince Constantijn.

But for us royalty watchers the grapes are sour. Another brick is pulled from the wall.

 

[Florestane]

Just look at Prince Harry's face.

I've just rewatched snippets from the sermon - noticed some smiles and the odd smirk from the congregation but I honestly couldn't see anything untoward in Harry's expression.

 

[Juliette2]

Seriously? How was mentioning social media disrespectful? What's wrong with making jokes or using an iPad?
I can understand the sermon wasn't to everyone's taste but I don't get how any of those things are disrespectful...

1. You are in Church, performing a Royal Wedding in front of the Queen and the entire Royal Family. A spiritual stand is required. Stand-up comedy belongs somewhere else.
2. Mentioning actual companies by NAME (Facebook and Instagram, both owned by one man btw) at such event is inappropriate and vulgar.
3. Using an iPad in such setting is at the very least impolite.
4. the jokes were EMBARRASSING. He was even waiting for the laugh, he's so used to it. Going to church in the States I can confirm is now just as going to a comedy club. Unfortunately, I'm familiar with it.
5. Bringing up slavery? Mentioning MLK?
6. Glorifying technology (the Industrial Revolution! Fire allowed your cars to bring you here today!)...what's the point?? The true message about Love was drowned in embarrassing platitudes and fake tones.