Love, force from above

US preacher Michael Curry’s stirring speech on the power of love was a truly memorable moment from Meghan and Harry’s wedding.

A bit too memorable for me, actually, because I’ve had an ear-worm stuck in my head ever since... The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The 1984 hit is on permanent loop and I keep bursting into song without realising it.

“When the chips are down, I’ll be around with my undying, death defying love for you...”

It’s such a familiar old hit yet the lyrics had never really touched me.

Until Tuesday, the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing, when the power of love was on show everywhere in that great city.

Hundreds gathered for a service to remember the 22 who died in the terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert and the others whose lives were changed for ever.

They hung messages of love and defiance on “Trees of Hope” and Prince William gave a bible reading: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

In the evening thousands packed into Albert Square for a concert and singalong and paid tribute with a huge round of applause. “This is what love sounds like,” said poet Tony Walsh. And up the road in South Shields the loved ones of teenage sweethearts murdered in the Arena atrocity gathered for their own tribute. Chloe Rutherford, 17, a talented singer and dancer, and Liam Curry, 19, a skilled cricketer, below, were “perfect for each other in every way”.

They’d planned their careers, travels, marriage and children together and on Tuesday their families recalled them as “two kids very much in love, whose kindness, caring nature and zest for life knew no bounds”. Their grieving parents couldn’t bear to see such love and passion wasted. So they set up the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust as a legacy.

It will award sports and performance bursaries to other talented youngsters “to honour our kids through what they loved most – to inspire others to follow their dreams and achieve their goals”.

Liam’s mam Caroline says: “We wanted to turn something so horrific and painful into something positive.”

At Harry and Meghan’s wedding Bishop Curry reminded the congregation: “There’s power in love to help and heal when nothing else can.”

And my Frankie ear-worm keeps reminding me: “Dreams are like angels, they keep bad at bay, love is the light scaring darkness away.”

The undying, death defying power of love.

I BET the new Duchess of Sussex wished she and Harry had legged it to Namibia on honeymoon this week instead of hanging around for Pa’s garden party.

Because her first official engagement as an HRH proved to be a white old debacle, didn’t it?

I mean, those TIGHTS! What was she thinking?!

Twitter went wild and fashion experts were appalled because our new bi-racial royal wore a pair of nude tights “too pale for her skin tone”.

I thought she’d picked the perfect

shade to match the sheer fabric at the top of her frock, and looked lovely.

But, no. Tightgate even forced Good Morning Britain to run a poll – and 67 per cent of people said the Duchess should have gone bare-legged rather than wear the horrific hosiery.

Welcome to life as a global style icon, Meghan.

Your “Markle Sparkle” may be adding £150million to the nation’s fashion sales but the fashionistas will still tear you down like a pair of laddered pantyhose.

Because that’s their stocking trade.