The recent tell-all interview of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with Oprah Winfrey stirred up controversy and left the public questioning the accuracy of their claims about their wedding in 2018. The couple finally released a statement addressing the issue, admitting to misleading information.
During the highly-publicized interview, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed that they secretly got married three days before their official wedding on May 19, 2018. However, a spokesperson for the couple later admitted on March 22 that “The couple exchanged personal vows a few days before their official/legal wedding on May 19.”
This delayed confession came after the media and the public debated the confusing information Meghan Markle had previously provided. She claimed that she and her husband had a private ceremony in their backyard three days before their public wedding, which reportedly cost $50 million. However, this contradicts the traditional royal wedding protocol in the UK, which requires a minimum of two witnesses to validate a legal marriage.
The Sun, a UK-based newspaper, even obtained a copy of the couple’s marriage certificate from the UK’s General Register Office, which listed Prince Charles and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, as witnesses. The certificate confirmed that the couple got married on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Stephen Borton, the former chief clerk at the Faculty Office, stated that “I’m sorry, but Meghan clearly didn’t understand the situation, and she gave out the wrong information. They did not marry three days earlier in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Special Licence I helped draw up enabled them to marry at St George’s Chapel in Windsor and what happened there on 19 May 2018 and was seen by millions around the world was the official wedding as recognized by the Church of England and the law.”
Mark Edwards, a pastor from Newcastle, verified with the Archbishop’s office and suggested that the misunderstanding may have been due to “Meghan being American and not understanding all the ways of the Church of England.” He also emphasized that a Church of England wedding must take place in “a place licensed for worship” and cannot be held outside or in a “backyard,” as the couple claimed.
After the interview aired, numerous inaccuracies in Meghan and Harry’s statements were revealed, causing confusion and skepticism among the public, even prompting accusations of racial discrimination against the British royal family. Many have called for a closer examination of the couple’s claims.
The controversy surrounding Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding highlights the importance of accurate information and transparency, especially in the public eye. The delayed admission of the misleading claims may have caused unnecessary confusion and controversy. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that even high-profile individuals are still human and can make mistakes. It is crucial to learn from these experiences and strive for better communication and honesty in the future.