28 November 2017, The Tablet

Meghan Markle to be baptised and confirmed before wedding at Windsor


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to be married at St George's, Windsor next May


Meghan Markle to be baptised and confirmed before wedding at Windsor

Meghan Markle is to be baptised and confirmed before she marries Prince Harry.

The couple, who announced their engagement yesterday, will wed at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Kensington Palace told The Tablet that Miss Markle is a Protestant but had not previously been baptised or confirmed. Besides becoming a member of the Church of England, she will seek to become a British citizen, the palace said.

Prince Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Prince Harry is currently fifth in line to the throne and will become sixth in line after the birth of his brother Prince William's third child next year.

Ms Markle went to a Catholic school but is not a Catholic. In any case, the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act 2013 removed the law that marrying a Catholic would forfeit succession to the throne. 

Kensington Palace told Royal correspondents at a briefing this afternoon that the wedding will be paid for by the Royal Family. "This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the characters of the bride and groom," the spokesman said. In addition, Prince Harry and Ms Markle "want the public to feel part of their day", he said, indicating it is likely to be televised.

The couple have already spent time at Windsor and it is a "special place" for them, he added. 

Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips married Autumn Kelly at St George's Chapel in 2008. The Prince of Wales had a service of prayer and dedication there after he married the Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Guildhall in 2005.

The couple, who met in London after being introduced by a friend, gave their first joint TV interview to the BBC's Mishal Husain on Monday. They are expected to do their first official engagement together in Nottingham on Friday, visiting Nottingham Contemporary for a Terrence Higgins Trust World Aids Day charity fair as well as a school.

Ms Markle is expected to cease her current work with the United Nations and World Vision, an international Christian children's charity, and begin new charity commitments as a member of the Royal Family. 

(Pictures: St George's Chapel, Windsor, and Prince Harry pictured with Meghan Markle when they announced their engagement. Credit: PA)


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