Archbishop Denies Wedding Claim by Meghan and Harry

They were officially married on the day the public saw them take vows, not during secret event
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 31, 2021 8:54 AM CDT
Archbishop on Sussexes' Claim They Married in Secret: Nope
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are seen in London on March 5, 2020.   (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Among the many bombshells dropped during their now famous interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry revealed they'd been secretly wed three days before the public Saturday ceremony in May 2018. The Sussexes claimed to have been married by Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, in their "backyard." At least one UK vicar didn't find that possible, noting that the couple couldn't have had two legally binding weddings. Now, Welby himself is speaking out, and his remarks also don't lend credence to Harry and Meghan's claim. "The legal wedding was on the Saturday," he said in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, per CNN.

Welby, who NBC News notes is the head of the Church of England, said that he personally signed the wedding certificate, and that "I would have committed a serious criminal offense if I had signed it knowing it was false." The Guardian notes that the pre-wedding wedding that the duke and duchess referred to was more likely a simple exchange of vows, as the venue wasn't officially registered and there weren't enough witnesses to make it the real deal. "You can make what you like of that," Welby said of his revelation. He conceded that he'd had "a number" of other get-togethers with the couple before the wedding, "but I won't say what happened at any other meetings," citing clergy-congregant confidentiality. (More Meghan Markle stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X