Mystery over the ‘backyard’ wedding vows
A £30m fortune for him while she is worth £4m. A luxurious lifestyle in (often free) properties – but...
Three days before our’ wedding we got married. No one knows that
MEGHAN
THE Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday declined to comment on Harry and Meghan’s astonishing claim that he secretly married them three days before their royal wedding.
Meghan declared they ‘got married’ after summoning the Most Reverend Justin Welby to their ‘backyard’ in Kensington Palace.
If true, it would mean the lavish Windsor Castle wedding on May 19, 2018, costing £37million and watched by millions around the world, was a sham. In reality, it is more likely the secret ceremony was not legally binding and the main event was the real one.
Yesterday a senior source said the archbishop was reluctant to get involved in order to avoid blatantly contradicting the Sussexes’ version of events.
Lambeth Palace and the Church of England stonewalled questions on the TV claim. The archbishop is understood to believe the event was a rehearsal.
Meghan told Oprah Winfrey: ‘Three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. But we called the archbishop, and we just said, “Look, this thing, this spectacle, is for the world – but we want our union between us”.
‘So, like, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.’
Harry added in the interview: ‘Just the three of us.’
Yesterday, Lambeth Palace said: ‘The archbishop does not comment on personal or pastoral matters.’ A Kent clergyman called on the archbishop to explain, suggesting that if Meghan’s claim turned out to be wrong, it cast doubt on the rest of her interview.
Reverend David Green, who is vicar of St Mary’s in West Malling and rector of St Michael’s in Offham, said: ‘It’s not legal to have your own vows. You can’t get married twice. So what was the thing three days before?
‘She clearly thinks something happened with ABC (Archbishop of Canterbury) three days prior. The archbishop needs to clarify what did or did not happen three days before. If it’s BS, that helps assess the rest of the interview.’
Clergy sources said the ceremony in the Kensington Palace ‘backyard’ was probably a private exchange of vows rather than a legally binding marriage.
The law is strict, and even the Archbishop of Canterbury cannot vary the rules of marriage in England. The palace back garden is not an approved premises for a wedding, nor is it a church – a key requirement for any marriage solemnised by a clergyman.
At least two witnesses are also required to be present, and if there were only ‘the three of us’ including the archbishop, this would render the ceremony unofficial.
The public must also have ‘unrestricted access’ to allow for ‘valid objections against the marriage’.
Normally it would be straightforward to verify the claims by requesting a copy of the marriage certificate. But while these certificates are usually considered public documents, a quirk of the law means royal nuptials can be exempt. The register office at Windsor said: ‘We never got a copy of it – it’s still with the church.’ Registry officials in Kensington said they were unable to help locate one.
The Home Office said: ‘There is no requirement for royal marriages that take place on the authority of the Church of England to be recorded on a marriage register.’
The BBC spoke to a ‘person close to the Sussexes’ and reported the event had been a private exchange of vows that had been ‘incorrectly described by Meghan’.
‘Incorrectly described’
PRINCE Harry said he was persuaded to sign multi-million-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify when he was ‘literally cut off financially’ from the Royal Family.
The Duke of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey he stopped receiving income from Buckingham Palace shortly after he and Meghan announced their wish to step back as senior royals and spend time overseas.
Harry added that he would have been unable to pay for security to protect his family if it were not for money left to him by his mother Princess Diana in her will.
The couple raised eyebrows when they announced in September a deal worth an estimated £75million to make programmes for Netflix – despite citing lack of privacy as a reason for quitting the Royal Family.
In December, the couple announced a lucrative deal with audio streaming giant Spotify.
The deal, estimated to be worth around £18million, will see Harry and Meghan make podcasts for Spotify’s 320million monthly users to help listeners ‘connect to one another without distraction.’
Asked about the money-spinning partner
‘Set to earn $1billion in a decade’
ships, Harry told Miss Winfrey they were ‘never part of the plan’ but were suggested by a ‘friend’ when they feared financial issues.
He insisted: ‘My family literally cut me off financially and I had to afford security for us.
‘But I’ve got what my mum left me and, without that, we would not have been able to do this.’ He added of the issues he has faced: ‘I think she saw it coming.’
His claims of financial worries come as Harry faces the prospect of becoming richer than all other members of the Royal Family.
He and Meghan are predicted to become the world’s highest-earning celebrity couple with a fortune potentially stretching to $1billion (£700million) within a decade. That compares to the Queen’s wealth which is estimated at £350million.
As superstars of the international circuit, the couple are expected to command fees of up to £1million for speeches and appearances.
Diana left £21million to her sons William and Harry, to be held in trust until they turned 25.
Estimates now put Harry’s portion at up to £20million as it gained value over time.
The duke also received an estimated £7million from the Queen Mother’s will after she died in 2002. His overall net worth is believed to be £30million while Meghan’s is said to be £4million.
When she starred in US TV drama Suits she was paid £2million over six years. She also raked in sixfigure sums for film roles and owns property in Toronto.
Before stepping back from royal duties in December 2019, Harry received the vast majority of his income from the Duchy of Cornwall – a portfolio of property and financial investments managed by Prince Charles.
For the financial year 2018-19, this amounted to more than
My family cut me off financially and I had to afford security... I think my mum saw it coming HARRY
£5million. It is believed Charles, who initially continued to fund the couple, withdrew financial support from the duchy last year when it became clear their move to the US was permanent.
About 5 per cent of the couple’s income came from the taxpayerfunded Sovereign Grant.
However, Buckingham Palace announced the couple would no longer receive public money after their decision to quit as frontline royals. The Home Office funded the couple’s Metropolitan Police security but this was withdrawn when they permanently relocated, leaving the couple to foot the bill estimated to be £4million-a-year.
Last year, the couple paid back the £2.4million cost of refurbishing Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after it was initially covered by the taxpayer. They also took out a £7.5million mortgage on their ninebed £11million mansion in Santa Barbara, California.
Asked by Miss Winfrey about the perception the couple could be seen as ‘money-grabbing royals,’ Harry said: ‘We’re certainly not complaining. Our life is great now.’ He added: ‘All I needed was enough money to be able to pay for security to keep my family safe.’ The couple have set up their own organisation, Archewell, which includes a not-for-profit enterprise and production companies for audio and video content.
It aims to drive ‘systemic cultural change across all communities, one act of compassion at a time.’
Last year, the duchess took on one of her first major media engagements since stepping back as a senior royal, narrating a Disney documentary about elephants.
Two of the homes Harry and Meghan and son Archie have lived in since leaving the UK behind were lent to them.
After quitting Britain the family first took up temporary residence in a mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada.
They then moved from there to a luxury home in Beverly Hills, which was owned by movie mogul Tyler Perry, before buying their present mansion in Santa Barbara.