Archbishop: ‘I must not drop the rings or forget the vows’ at Royal wedding
AS HE prepares for the wedding of the year, when the eyes of the world will be upon him, even the Archbishop of Canterbury could be forgiven a few nerves.
The Most Rev Justin Welby has disclosed his biggest concerns, ahead of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: dropping the rings and forgetting the vows.
The Archbishop, who has formed a close bond with the engaged couple as they prepare for their marriage, admitted he had made both mistakes in recent weddings, in a candid interview about the forthcoming royal ceremony.
The St George’s Chapel service at Windsor Castle will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Rev David Conner, with the Archbishop officiating the vows. Although he will have conducted countless ceremonies in his lifetime, weddings are not a regular part of his current role
Mr Welby told ITV: “Unlike recent weddings, I must not drop the ring. 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.”
Asked what he could say about the baptism of Meghan Markle, which took place last week, he said: “Almost nothing at all! Except that it was very special. It was beautiful, sincere and very moving. It was a great privilege.”
In September the Archbishop caused a moment of panic and amusement at the wedding of Ailsa Anderson, his director of communications, to Simon Cole, a journalist. During the vows, he remarked that he had been given only one ring, before realising one had slipped from his order of service and rolled away under a nearby chair.