Meghan Markle has been baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby ahead of her May wedding with Prince Harry.
A report has surfaced that Markle was already baptised using holy water from the River Jordan in a secret ceremony held at the Chapel Royal with Prince Harry by her side. The 45-minute service was also witnessed by Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
Markle did not need to be baptised as an Anglican in order to marry Prince Harry, but she allegedly decided to commit herself to the baptism to honor Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, because of her role as head of the Church of England.
Earlier, Welby said that his conversations with Prince Harry have proven that the couple is keen to do things properly because they want to honor God in their relationship. "I am very, very sure after conversations that this is no tick-box exercise of 'We ought to get married in church,'" he told Today. "There is a profound sense of commitment, of seriousness both about faith and about their lives together which is quite inspirational."
Markle's father is a Presbyterian while her mother is a Protestant. On the other hand, Prince Harry was baptised as an Anglican shortly after he was born.
Welby has said that the Royal wedding will no doubt be a "beautiful moment" that will be witnessed by millions all over the globe.
"Of course it's important because people will look at it and they'll see a model of how two people commit their lives to one another before God, in the presence of millions of people," Welby said. "That's going to be wonderful, it's always a beautiful moment. Every wedding is profoundly beautiful."
