Chicago- born bishop gives American flair to royal wedding
WINDSOR, England — Nothing quite captured the trans- Atlantic nature of Saturday’s royal wedding as much as the guest preacher whose sermon brought American flair to a very English church service.
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the first black leader of the Episcopal Church in the United States, was handpicked by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to address their 600 wedding guests.
The bishop’s sermon on the theme of love, delivered with energy and studded with quotes from the bible, Martin Luther King Jr. and African- American spirituals, was a contrast to the more solemn Anglican style the royal family is used to.
Quoting civil rights icon King on the “redemptive power of love,” Curry, who was born in Chicago, said, “it’s not just for, and about, a young couple who we rejoice with, it’s more than that.”
Many observers were surprised and delighted. BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine tweeted: “The preacher is doing 50 in a 30 zone and it’s brilliant.”
Harry and Markle exchanged a quick glance at one point as Curry drifted from his prepared remarks and ad- libbed. Camilla and Kate — the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge — traded sidelong glances.
There may have been a touch of royal relief when Curry quipped “We gotta get y’all married now.” But he kept going, bringing a dash of passion to the pulpit.
The crowds waiting outside for a glimpse of the royal couple loved it. Cheers greeted Curry as he walked uphill from the chapel along the procession route after the service. One man shouted “well done” — prompting a smile and “God bless you” from the bishop.