Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Church Service, Carriage Procession - May 19, 2018

[AnneLo]

I think Michael Curry’s sermon was too much. He started well but then became too efusive and in the end just lost complete control of what he was saying. It was not coesive, he was repeating himself.

It happened in my graduation: the commencement speaker had a nice and emotional start, but just didn’t know how to stop! He got to a point where he was talking of random things like his father, himself and their miserable life (not in the inspiring way one could expect for such an event) and coming back over and over to the same things he just had said before. We couldn’t avoid a “what the f***” face and to exchange looks with our friends sitting next to us, silently asking each other when he was going to stop. And for a long while he didn’t, so we had to make our best efforts to hold the laughter. It was not embarrassing, just a bit nosense, and I felt the same way about the sermon.

We had was the same look I saw Kate and Camilla exchanging, the same laugh Beatrice was holding and the same wtf face Zara had.

Even Meghan, you can see that she looked very “touched” and concentrated in the beggining, but in the end she was just giggling like everyone else, and the reverend himself realized that he went too much.

Harry’s reactions are hard to take in consideration.
The guys was SO nervous the entire time! I bet he won’t have proper memories of some moments of the wedding. No wonder the first he said after the public was gone is that he needed a drink

 

[DisasterMaster]

Yes, you're right of course. I didn't really look at the seating chart. It looked like she didn't have many guests of her own, then, except for the girlfriends so her side must have been "beefed up" a bit. Although, obviously, many of Harry's frinds must have become her friends, too now.

Were Hugh and Rose van Cutsem there?

Yes Hunter and Rose were there. She looked amazing. But they weren´t seated next to Hugh´s family.

 

[wyevale]

and do a little personal growth.

'Holier than thou' MUCH ?, as the Prelate was.. in his tedious, inappropriate and over-extended lecture..

 

[DisasterMaster]

No wonder the first he said after the public was gone is that he needed a drink

Where have you read that? I missed that one.

 

[JR76]

Are we really doing this? Having this conversation? And no one is going to state the obvious? We are just supposed to be ok with our heritage being mocked? Just because something is unfamiliar to you does not make it unsuitable or wrong. I'm sorry I'm not going to sit back and let this go unchallenged. I as a woman of color should not have to bite my tounge or dance around the obvious, when my heritage and way of worship is being mocked and deemed out of place, just to keep the peace. I have to do that enough in real life. But since those seem to be the rules, this is perhaps not the place for me.

If you feel that your background or culture is being mocked you should definitely not feel that you have to bite your tongue. The rules of the forums does not condone racism so I do hope that you'll feel welcome here.

 

[Nico]

Well, an empty seat was definitely left for Diana at William’s wedding.

No there wasn't, as there was no empty seat for Diana yesterday.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a20757284/royal-wedding-princess-diana-empty-seat/

 

[Denville]

I felt for Doria too.. surely Meghan had a friend or relative who could have sat beside her and been there to support her? It all seemed to be left to P Charles to try and look after her a bit...

 

[alvinking]

When should we expect The Official Wedding Photographs?

 

[Osipi]

I felt for Doria too.. surely Meghan had a friend or relative who could have sat beside her and been there to support her? It all seemed to be left to P Charles to try and look after her a bit...

From what I've seen, Doria had Meghan's best friends surrounding her and most likely have been for the entire wedding events. I imagine that Meghan's best friends and their families also stayed at the Clivenden the night before the wedding. Also, those close girlfriends were also "child wranglers" as so many of them were in the bridal party. Seated near Doria, they were close by to quickly disappear into the registry and prepare the kids for the recessional.

Doria most certainly wasn't left alone at any time. Charles really did step up though to not only escort her into the registry but also as the father of the groom escorting the mother of the bride and the stepmother of the groom out of the church. Very gentlemanly.

 

[Denville]

FrDoria most certainly wasn't left alone at any time. Charles really did step up though to not only escort her into the registry but also as the father of the groom escorting the mother of the bride and the stepmother of the groom out of the church. Very gentlemanly.

I thought that that was generally the way it is done at a formal wedding that the Groom's father and the brides mother should be paired off and the Groom's mother with the Brides' father.. but my impresson of Doria, in the short bits I watched was that she seemed to be sitting on her own and looking not very happy..

 

[Muhler]

I thought that that was generally the way it is done at a formal wedding that the Groom's father and the brides mother should be paired off and the Groom's mother with the Brides' father.. but my impresson of Doria, in the short bits I watched was that she seemed to be sitting on her own and looking not very happy..

That was my impression too, from seeing her in the church.

I'm very glad if I'm proven wrong. ?

 

[Curryong]

Doria was rather tearful and emotional at various points in the ceremony but I certainly wouldn't describe her as being unhappy. Quite the reverse, in fact!

And I agree, she was surrounded by her daughter's friends. If she had wanted a friend to accompany her to England then I'm sure Meghan would have arranged it. However I think she enjoyed herself at the reception from all reports, and she may now relax and have a little holiday with her daughter and new son in law.

 

[Osipi]

When I think of who could have been seated on Meghan's family side next to Doria, I think Doria's demeanor and state of mind would have been in much more turmoil. As it was, Doria able to focus solely on her daughter and her happiness and she actually was quite emotional and close to tears at some points of the ceremony.

I've never been to a ceremony where the mother of the bride and the father of the groom were paired up. As a mother of the groom twice, I never paired up that way. I also noticed from studying protocols for weddings that the mother of the groom is supposed to color coordinate with the mother of the bride as far as colors and I kind of noticed that with Doria and the Queen in the absence of a mother of the groom at this wedding. Doria and the Queen's outfits complimented each other nicely.

 

[Denville]

As far as I can recall, at a royal formal wedding the Queen processes out,with the father of the bride..adn Philip iwht the mother of the bride.. I didnt watch Will and Kate but I kind of assumed that Michael middleton would have processed out with Camilla, and Charles with Mrs Middleton...

 

[tommy100]

For me personally, the most disappointing aspect of today was the at times truly abysmal and shoddy camera work. They missed so many important elements in favour of random and prolonged focus on guests(and not even on the main RBF) who unfortunately lacked the necessary poise to consider the event they were at. The curtsy and bow, the kiss in the carriage, etc, etc.

I will say I've heard repeatedly that St George's is harder to film in than Westminster Abbey or St Paul's as its smaller and more cramped. The footage from Charles and Camilla's blessing was less than great even for its time. Also, the BBC especially are use to filming in the Abbey and St Pauls and do so at least once a year so have a go to plan for filming there.

 

[Nico]

As far as I can recall, at a royal formal wedding the Queen processes out,with the father of the bride..adn Philip iwht the mother of the bride.. I didnt watch Will and Kate but I kind of assumed that Michael middleton would have processed out with Camilla, and Charles with Mrs Middleton...

It's indeed the case for the procession (and that's why Doria was nicely included with Charles and Camilla on the way out), but it's not for the sitting : the Royal Family is on one side, the spouse's family on the other.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

At my church this morning we focused on Bishop Curry’s address, and I have to say, discussing it with others and re-watching and reading the transcript has completely changed my views. Curry sounds like he’s going off on a tangent but in reality everything in his speech links on, even when he starts talking about history. It was a very powerful message and very clear. It was one of a kind and I doubt there will be another royal wedding address like this again. Curry is also one of the only bishops in the USA who will marry members of the LGBT+ community so he focused his address on love for neighbours. It was incredibly topical and relevant and I feel like most people in the audience could relate to it. It’s definitely worth watching again or reading again because thinking differently I now have the complete opposite view as before!

 

[Maria527]

ON a positive note:

I just want to give a lot of love to Doria. She was the epitome of grace, dignity and class. Her emotion for her daughter was so beautiful. As hard as this week was for the bride and groom, I imagine it was equally if not more hard for Doria. To see her daughter so dragged through the mud because of her own family? To see her ex-partner so botch the lead up?

Doria is just a class act all around.

I was so pleased to see how loving Charles was with her. I have a feeling Charles truly feels he has found a daughter in Meghan and also really respects Doria. Not shade on Kate, but Kate is extremely close to her family and is so very lucky in that sense. I think with Meghan, we will see Charles really become a big figure in her life with her parents being so far and her dad being...who he is as a person.

Doria reminds me so much of my mama, who is truly a queen among women. I am looking forward to seeing her at other events, as she is able to cross the pond.

What a heart-warming post! I was reading all of the negativity, but then I read this post and got chills. Yes, Doria was a breath of fresh air and Prince Charles was so welcoming. I'm sure walking Meghan down the aisle will forever be remembered as a special bonding moment for them. It does seem he will take her under his wing and look out for her as a father figure.

 

[Mbruno]

Well to be fair - # of friends doesn't always equate to quality of friends? And she could have pulled up some more friends from the Nave but she didn't.

That is also something which struck me. Not only were there no family members on her side of the Quire (besides her mother), but her friends, with the exception of her Northwestern pals, seem to be all recent acquaintances. I mean, how long has she known George and Amal Clooney ? Or Serena Williams and Oprah? In fact, even Jessica Mulroney is someone whom she may have met, I believe, only after she moved to Canada, which is not so long ago. I am not sure about that though, since I have never been interested in her personal life prior to her meeting Harry and, even after that, I still don't care much about it.



Many of Meghan's guests on the Nave too were actually co-workers or former co-workers who are probably not so close to her.

What a heart-warming post! I was reading all of the negativity, but then I read this post and got chills. Yes, Doria was a breath of fresh air and Prince Charles was so welcoming. I'm sure walking Meghan down the aisle will forever be remembered as a special bonding moment for them. It does seem he will take her under his wing and look out for her as a father figure.

Prince Charles may actually like Meghan or not, I don't know, but, at the wedding, he was just being a gentleman, which is something that is expected from the Prince of Wales. Taking Doria's arm as she was exiting the chapel or walking Meghan down the aisle of the Quire have no deeper meaning than that, especially when Meghan or Doria's family were shut out (or shut themselves out) of the wedding.


In fact, most senior royals (in Britain and other countries) are always polite and inclusive. It is actually part of their job to meet people from all walks of life routinely, be nice to them, and make them feel comfortable in their presence. As I said before, snobbery these days is more of a middle-class or nouveau riche trait than something I would associate with royalty.

No there wasn't, as there was no empty seat for Diana yesterday.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a20757284/royal-wedding-princess-diana-empty-seat/

The empty seat at William's wedding was not placed in front of the Queen (who was seating in the front row already), so I can't possibly think of another explanation.

 

[W.Y.CII]

Well, an empty seat was definitely left for Diana at William’s wedding.

I don't remember such thing happened...?

Edit: I'm not sure is that referring to the empty chair next to Camilla's (like one of the tweets in the harpersbazaar article Nico posted said), if yes actually it is Harry's chair.

 

[Marchesina]

The empty seat at William's wedding was not placed in front of the Queen (who was seating in the front row already), so I can't possibly think of another explanation.

At the beginning of the ceremony there was indeed an empty seat, but that was quickly filled by Prince Harry, who was standing next to William during the first part of the ceremony.

 

[Osipi]

Best explanation I have heard is that the empty seat was the one that Harry used leading up to the wedding. It wasn't filled with a guest afterwards as no one is seated in front of the Queen.

 

[Denville]

It's indeed the case for the procession (and that's why Doria was nicely included with Charles and Camilla on the way out), but it's not for the sitting : the Royal Family is on one side, the spouse's family on the other.

As I said for processing out....

 

[Ista]

I thought that that was generally the way it is done at a formal wedding that the Groom's father and the brides mother should be paired off and the Groom's mother with the Brides' father.. but my impresson of Doria, in the short bits I watched was that she seemed to be sitting on her own and looking not very happy..

I thought she looked as though she had been crying before she got to the church, and she spent most of the service fighting tears at key parts of the service.

Ultimately, as beautiful as Meghan was, as incredible as the flowers in the chapel were, as moving as the vows themselves were, the image that was in my mind as I woke up this morning was of Doria.

Here you have this beautiful, dignified woman, clearly a loving and supportive mother, and someone whose life work is helping others in various ways, and she is sitting on her own in church while her only daughter moves irrevocably from one world into another. And there was no one beside her holding her hand, handing her a hanky, or giving her a hug at key moments. No matter how close she and Meghan continue to be in the future, the world Meghan will move in from now on is not her world, and she is too wise not to know that. I found it very poignant.

 

[W.Y.CII]

I always thought Doria is VERY nervous rather than unhappy (she took a deep breath after she entered the church and sat down). Maybe a bit complicated feeling (happy for her daughter but sad that they probably can't always stay together) but definitely not unhappy.

 

[tommy100]

I don't remember such thing happened...?

Edit: I'm not sure is that referring to the empty chair next to Camilla's (like one of the tweets in the harpersbazaar article Nico posted said), if yes actually it is Harry's chair.

As show in this picture, all the chairs are occupied http://static1.purepeople.com/artic...iage-de-william-et-kate-middleton-950x0-2.jpg

 

[W.Y.CII]

As show in this picture, all the chairs are occupied http://static1.purepeople.com/artic...iage-de-william-et-kate-middleton-950x0-2.jpg

Yes I am talking about it. Most of the time he had to stand next to William so it gave an impression there was an empty seat.

 

[Dman]

To everyone still harping on Rev. curry's sermon-----------there is this:

https://twitter.com/x/status/997852932442853376

Tina Brown is a pretty good source, I would think.

The BRF may not have picked Curry, but that does not mean they are not attuned to modern times. Who would have thought Charles is into Gospel. Mind-blowing.

Personally, I just think they could not take the style of what Curry said and the fervor with which he said. They're "dignified" people not used to be confronted in an indirect way with the fact that their ancestors built the slave trade?

Also it's obvious they have never encountered American-style "holy Ghost"-inspired Church Services. I wanted to go to Church and sing after hearing that sermon.

William was smiling (not Kate, unfortunately.) So was Meghan. Harry did not seem to have a problem with it. It was only some members that APPARENTLY took offense, so ultimately----what's the big deal? And it was M & H's wedding, not any others-----they chose it-------and the Queen signed off on it----so, again, what's the problem?



Take it up with h & M and the Queen---they did not seem to mind.

And ALL weddings are supposed to be solemn?

First time I heard that.

I watched the wedding over and over again. Everything about it was beyond beautiful. The music, sermon, the kids and the bride and groom.

Curry took us all to church with his sermon. I know some folks aren’t used to hearing a soulful sermon, but actually The Queen is used to it. She was touched by the soulful sermons of Billy Graham. We heard a sermon about real love. Gods love. It’s what we needed to hear today.

 

[loonytick]

Echoing those who’ve clarified that there were no truly empty seats, but rather seats whose occupants at times had roles to play that took them out of those seats.

There was some question far upthread about why Doria wasn’t on the front row. I’d just point out that she was given the essentially the same seat (on her side) as the Queen. And the seats in front of them had a nice mirroring, too: William took the closest seat on the front row while Meghan’s close friend Jessica Mulroney had that place in her side. Both of them had reason to be in and out of their spots as well, since he had to stand at the front for a while and she was one of the child wranglers.

Also, after watching the kids and their mothers in action, I wonder if the choice of little attendants had a part to play in Meghan not having an adult by her side. Mulroney or Litt would probably have been prime contenders for the matron of honor role, but they both needed to focus on helping their children do their best.

 

[Curryong]

At least two of Meghan's friends are from her university years at NorthWestern. One of them Lindsay Roth and she met in their freshman year there. She's also known most of the cast members of Suits for at least seven years.