Meghan’s baptism was ‘beautiful sincere, moving’ says Archbishop
THE Archbishop of Canterbury spoke for the first time yesterday about baptising Meghan Markle in a “very moving” ceremony.
The Most Rev Justin Welby, who will be officiating at the royal wedding of the American actress to Prince Harry in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, presided over the bride-tobe’s baptism last week.
In an interview with ITV News, the Archbishop said: “It was very special, it was beautiful and sincere. And very moving. It was a great privilege.”
The ceremony took place in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace with Harry, his father Prince Charles, stepmother the Duchess of Cornwall and a handful of royal aides who were part of a 18-strong congregation watching the baptism.
In keeping with royal tradition, holy water from the River Jordan from the private Royal Family font was poured on Meghan’s head.
A silver font, basin and flask of holy oil traditionally used in Royal Family christenings also formed part of the ritual.
The 62-year-old Archbishop, a former oil industry executive, has formed a close bond with Meghan, 36, who has met him on regular occasions during her spiritual preparation for the royal wedding.
He said their conversations had been only “pastoral” and confessed his own nerves about presiding over the wedding.
“Unlike recent weddings, I must not drop the ring,” he laughed.
“And I must not forget to get the vows in the right order, as I did at the rehearsal for one of my children’s weddings.
“You know, at the heart of it is two people who have fallen in love with each other, who are committing their lives to each other with the most beautiful words and profound thoughts, who do it in the presence of God.
“Through Jesus Christ you pray for them to have the strength to fulfil their vows and you seek to do it in a way that respects their integrity and honours their commitment.”
Archbishop Welby added: “You just focus on the couple. It’s their day.
“You talk about what they want in the wedding, discuss it with the Dean of Windsor, it’s what you do for weddings, it’s just on an infinitely larger scale.”
In September, the Archbishop caused both panic and amusement at the wedding of his director of communications, Ailsa Anderson, to journalist Simon Cole, when he dropped the bride’s ring during the ceremony.
As the couple were repeating their vows, he mentioned that he had been given only one ring, but then realised one had slipped from his order of service and rolled under a chair.
In January 2014 Archbishop Welby officiated when his son Peter and Jen Bates were married in Canterbury. He also performed the ceremony at the wedding of his daughter Katharine to Mike Roberts in May that year.
During the interview with ITV News anchor Julie Etchingham, he also condemned the use of a nerve agent to attack former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, describing it as a “sin and a crime”.
“Chemical weapons are banned by international law, they are so awful that the whole world has got together and said, ‘You do not use these things’,” he said.
“So to use them in any way is completely wrong under all circumstances.”
Asked what his message to Russian president Vladimir Putin would be, the Archbishop said: “This is a sin and a crime. And the people responsible must be held accountable.”