Fellowship & Fairydust

     As a person who has had a long-running interest in the British monarchy and just about all things British, there was no doubt as to me watching the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and being genuinely engaged with the proceedings, but what transpired provided an added American (and more specifically, an African-American) dimension which made the wedding all the more interesting.

     Sure, there was the traditional pomp and circumstance which comes with a royal wedding in the United Kingdom – including a well-choreographed and timed ceremony, horse-drawn carriages and military processions, the Queen in attendance, herald trumpets, crowds of well-wishers, significant media attention, and of course, hats of all shapes and sizes. All of this took place in and around the grounds of Windsor Castle, a place steeped in history and tradition as a structure originally built by William the Conqueror nearly a thousand years ago, while lending its name to the Royal Family and standing today as the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The setting of the ceremony itself was in St. George’s Chapel, which in its own right contains an illustrious history wrapped into some of the finest architecture in the United Kingdom.

     And yet for all of this hearkening to tradition which is a hallmark of the monarchy and the country over which it reigns, there was undeniably a new aspect which also reflects the monarchy’s ability to adapt and reinvent itself in the course of time. At the heart of the most recent reinvention has been the fact that Meghan Markle is American and bi-racial – the daughter of a black woman and a white man – and there’s no question that her as Harry’s choice for a royal bride would have been unthinkable at the time when he was born in 1984.

     Of course, it’s probably safe to assume that Harry did not choose Meghan because he wanted to do anything groundbreaking, and instead simply found love, compatibility, and a person with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life regardless of her background. Nevertheless, her inclusion into the highest ranks of the Royal Family does make a statement about the status of people of color in a country which is nearly 90% white and where black and mixed-race peoples make up only 5% of the population (as of the 2011 census) and has had its share of racial issues and controversies.

     Whether this new royal couple – Meghan in particular – can move the needle on race in the UK in a meaningful and practical way remains to be seen, but the symbolism demonstrated by their union is quite powerful, and if there was any doubt as to her embrace of her biracial and American heritage, all of that was put aside as the much-anticipated ceremony unfolded.

     It started out in a unique fashion from the start, with no maid of honor since Meghan did not want to have to choose from among her close-knit group of friends. Instead, that role was filled by bridesmaids and page boys under the age of ten, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Also, because of her father’s inability to make the journey to Britain due to recent heart surgery, Meghan walked down the Nave of St. George’s by herself and was joined by Prince Charles to be escorted through the Quire to the altar, where she joined Prince Harry (who said, “Thank you, Pa”) and his best man, brother Prince William.

     However, these were already anticipated and turned out to merely be a mild departure in the grand scheme of things, for the ceremony opened up with the bridal procession to Handel’s Eternal Source of Light Divine, which was performed by soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and David Blackadder on trumpet, and joined by a small orchestra with musicians drawn from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, who had also conducted the orchestra for Prince William’s wedding in 2011.

     This was followed by a fairly standard welcome and preface by David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, as well as the lovely hymn Lord of All Hopefulness – with its lyrics exalting God and imploring him to be with us though all stages of our lives. Then there were the declarations from Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in which he asked the couple if they would love, comfort, honor and protect each other and forsake all others. The answer of “I will” from each of them elicited cheers from outside the chapel which could be heard on the inside and brought out light laughter from the congregation and participants.

     The service moved along with a prayer by the Archbishop and a reading of Scripture from the Song of Solomon by Lady Jane Fellowes, an older sister of Diana, Princess of Wales and aunt of Prince Harry. Through her marked the representation of the beloved “People’s Princess”, and it was appropriate that she would quote from biblical book of love and intimacy because of Diana’s penchant for showing love to many people, not least to her boys through whom her legacy lives.

     Following Thomas Tallis’s motet If Ye Love Me by the Choir of St. George’s, the Most Reverend Thomas Curry came forward to give the address. Up to this point, the ceremony had gone through mostly like other royal weddings, and as was with the case of those past weddings, Curry – the first African-American presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States – was probably thought to give a message about marriage, family, and love when he was requested by Harry and Meghan to perform this duty.

     Usually, such a role is reserved for senior clergy of the Church of England (of which the Queen is the Supreme Governor), so Curry’s selection presumably came with the blessing and on the advice of Archbishop Welby, who is the effective leader of the Church and spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is a member. Therefore, there may have been some expectation – at least among the congregation and everyone else watching – that this leader of the CoE’s American offshoot would follow in a fairly standard and traditional Anglican style.

     As it happened, he did anything but.

     Bishop Curry started where Lady Jane Fellowes left off by drawing from the Song of Solomon, but within seconds, he was quoting the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on how we must discover the redemptive power of love, and went on the expound on this theme of love and using it to overcome hate and oppression in our personal lives and the wider society.

     He made the connection between the love shared between the couple and the universal love theme of his address by noting that “two people fell in love and we showed up!”, and went on further to invoke more Scripture, made reference to slaves in the antebellum American South explaining the power of love through the comforting spirituals they sang and how it can transform and heal people, and also called upon us to imagine a world where love is the way and leads to justice flowing like a stream.

     Later on, he acknowledged the need to wrap up with the line of “and with this, I will sit you down. We’ve got to get you all married!”

     However, before he did that, in what may have been a nod to Meghan’s upbringing, he finalized his address by referring to the French Catholic Jesuit priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who wrote about how fire was the greatest discovery in human history because it has made possible so much of what we take for granted today. If humans were able to harness fire for good, then we should imagine the possibilities of us being able harness the energy of love in much the same way Harry and Meghan have done so, and how with that love they have the power to change the world, as we all have the capability of doing.

     Bishop Curry closed out as he began with Dr. King – saying that he:

“was right, we must discover love. The redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world. My brother, my sister, God love you. God bless you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.”

     By this point, I was on my feet – having witnessed not a mere address to congregants at a British royal wedding, but a barnstorming sermon not unlike what I experience on any given Sunday morning, and I could feel a spiritual uplifting as Bishop Curry drove his message home with all the fervor and fire which is a hallmark of the African-American spiritual tradition. Even though I had known that there would be a black priest in attendance, I did not anticipate that he would go as far as he did, in full view of the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and indeed, the heart of the British Establishment. There was passion expressed via his animated hand gestures, vocal inflections, virtuosity, and emphasis on key points – such when his voice soared as he told everyone that “Jesus said you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength!”

     However, it wasn’t just the delivery, but the sermon itself which contrasted so strikingly with what has been typically expected at a royal wedding and in a centuries-old Anglican church, which may be memorable for a long time to come, for Bishop Curry preached about the power of love and faith beyond the context of a couple to be married, and went deep into how radical, unconditional, and redemptive love is the foundation of the Christian faith. Indeed, he noted how “Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in all of human history” which mandated that people “live that love” of God to transform themselves and change the world.

     Perhaps he summed it up best by saying: “Ultimately the source of love is God himself, the source of all of our lives. There’s an old medieval poem that says, ‘where true love is found, God himself is there.’”

     All of this is standard fare in the African-American ecclesiastical tradition, for there have been times up to the present where all we have had is our faith and the belief that God is love and a healer, which is why the reference to the Balm in Gilead and the Book of Amos were significant and connected to myself and many other black people.

     Yet while I was up and saying “preach on, preach on!” and while Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland were almost certainly in tune with what was going on, the reaction elsewhere was mixed to say the least. Certainly, in St. George’s itself, the reaction among the congregation at large was subdued, yet noticeable enough as the camera’s caught the faces of various people inside. Members of the Royal Family certainly appeared to be caught off-guard as seen with varying expressions of bemusement. A heavily-pregnant Zara Phillips Tindall in particular looked as though she was thinking: “Is this an Anglican service? Are we still in the UK? Is this how our American cousins roll?” Others, such as Princess Beatrice and Prince William appeared to hold back giggles, though not as a way of mocking Bishop Curry, but simply because this was a new experience for them.

     Indeed, it was a new experience for a lot of British people, but there were those – some whom I know as friends, others who I follow as public figures – who expressed how this was a welcome and refreshing departure from the typically staid messages which accompany these ceremonies. The BBC presenter Jeremy Vine commented that it was like driving 50 in a 30 zone. Others said that they liked the energy and passion with which the sermon was delivered, and there those in particular who don’t consider themselves religious, but went so far as to say that not only did they appreciate Bishop Curry’s sermon, but that his message had the capacity to make them into believers. Indeed, some commentators noted how his style and approach to religious worship and engagement may be guide for how the Anglican Communion can reverse its decline in the UK and elsewhere. Perhaps Archbishop Welby – whose theology has been described as being in the evangelical tradition within Anglicanism – recognized this when he said of the sermon: “Well it really was, to be honest, the good news of Jesus Christ.”

     For his part, when asked how he had prepared for the sermon, Bishop Curry said he was “just going to show up.” There’s no doubt that he was definitely was on fire with his magisterial, energetic, and inspiring message which brought the house down and will be memorable for years to come. To put it succinctly, he showed up and showed out.

     What followed was more showing up and showing out in the form of the Kingdom Choir led by Karen Gibson. Indeed, it is quite possible that the world had hardly grasped the 15 minutes of down-home preaching before witnessing this UK-based gospel choir liven up the chapel still further with its touching performance of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me. This song, an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, picked up where Bishop Curry left off by speaking to the power of love with regard to the romance between two people and the struggle of those campaigning for civil rights – both of which endure against all kinds of storms and headwinds because people decided to stand by each other based on love and a belief that everything would be alright.

     As with Bishop Curry, Ms. Gibson was very animated in her gestures and movements as she directed the choir and through her, they rose to the occasion with a beautiful rendition of the song, which was sung with depth from the heart and soul. It was pleasant, while also lively and upbeat, and the soloist was on point as he set the tone for rest of the choir, which delivered a spiritual performance which was new to this setting and to a lot of people watching it. Indeed, it felt so spiritual that I found myself getting into the music and moving along with it as well as the choir, as they too swayed from side-to-side while song progressed and came to its conclusion.

     From here, the service moved back into more familiar territory with the exchange of vows and the giving of rings between Harry and Meghan led by Archbishop Welby. Even here, there was a slight departure from tradition with Meghan giving Harry a ring and the language used during the vows was simplified, so that for example, they referred to themselves and each other as “Harry” and “Meghan”, as opposed to using their full names (Henry Charles Albert David and Rachel Meghan) and “And thereto I plight thee my troth” became “In the presence of God, I make this vow.” Given how the longer and more traditional version has tripped up even the most well-rehearsed participants (such as Diana switching Prince Charles’s names in 1981), it was perhaps not surprising that this modern couple wanted something different, more simple, and down-to-earth, though I personally preferred the use of full names because after all, they are rarely used in public.

     At any rate, the Archbishop proceeded to formally proclaim them as husband and wife, which was met with rapturous cheering and applause from the outside and as with other parts of the proceedings, could be heard on the inside and caused a bit of light laughter. He went on to say “Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder” before the choir of St. George’s sang the anthem, which was John Rutter’s The Lord Bless and Keep You and after which was followed by the blessing of the marriage by Archbishop Welby in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

     There then followed the prayers led by the Reverend Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Archbishop Anba Angaelos. The latter is the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, while the former is the Chaplain to the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, as well as Chaplain to the Queen – the first black woman to hold either position. The prayers they recited thanked God for bringing Harry and Meghan together, and laid out the hope that their marriage would be long-lasting and produce children, that they show hospitality and love toward others, that they will guide themselves according to God’s word, and that they will devote themselves to their family to the end of their lives with hearts content.

     These prayers were concluded with the congregation reciting the Lord’s Prayer, which was followed by the hymn Guide Me O, Thou Great Redeemer. This hymn, with its uplifting melody of requests to God backed up by its flowing Welsh melody, was also sung at Prince William’s wedding and represents his and Harry’s connection to Wales as sons of the Prince of Wales, and it was also a favorite of their mother Diana. Ever since hearing it back then as well as in other settings – most notably during the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony – it has become one of my favorite hymns, so I was very pleased that it made its way into this wedding.

     It turned out to be the final hymn of this ceremony as the Dean of Windsor gave a blessing to finalize the nuptial part of the service. The newly-married couple then walked hand-in-hand into the North Quire Aisle to sign the marriage register of St. George’s Chapel, and as they did so, they looked at each other intently as they had done throughout most of the service. Indeed, the looks they exchanged throughout the service, the words they appeared to say to each other, and the fact that they held hands through much of the service appeared to confirm that they were truly and very much in love and committed to each other.

     Joining them to sign the register were two witnesses – their parents, Prince Charles and Doria Ragland, and as Meghan passed by her mother in the quire stalls on the way to the signing, one could see her expression as she contained what must have been a multitude of emotions. Yet, the social worker and yoga instructor from Los Angeles had carried through with the proceedings with the grace, dignity, and poise which she had demonstrated from the moment that Harry and Meghan’s relationship became public knowledge. Indeed, you could appreciate how she played her part in Meghan’s upbringing to make her the woman she is today and also appreciate why perhaps – at least in part – she was the only member of Meghan’s family in attendance. Her exercise in class was returned by Prince Charles, who took her hand to accompany her to the signing, and though she had already been introduced to and had tea with him and other senior members of the Royal Family (including the Queen), this was a sign of her public welcome into the family.

     While the marriage register was being signed, the congregation and international television audience were treated to more beautiful music, this time coming from cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a 19-year-old from Nottingham. It was another moment featuring a black person taking a prominent role in this ceremony, but also equally clear that Kanneth-Mason had earned this role on his merits as the recipient of the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year Award. In fact, he was due to be in L.A., but was personally asked by Meghan to perform at the wedding, and it was quickly apparent why he was an excellent choice.

     Joined by the orchestra, Kanneth-Mason displayed his talent through the performance of three selections: Paradis’s Sicilienne, Fauré’s Après un rêve, and Schubert’s Ave Maria. Of the three, the only one I was familiar with was Ave Maria and you could tell he was “into” the selection as he performed it beautifully and without sheet music to the pleasant delight of myself and anyone else who was watching him. As he did so, the television cameras also showcased the Gothic beauty of St. George’s Chapel, which has stood since 1475. While not on the same scale as Westminster Abbey, St. Giles’, St. Paul’s, or Glasgow Cathedral, it stands on a similar level as a study in the British architectural styles of its time, which was enhanced by the floral decorations specially installed for the wedding.

     At the conclusion of the music by Kanneth-Mason and the orchestra, Harry and Meghan made their way back into Quire, and the State Trumpeters of the Household Calvary sounded the fanfare which led to the singing of the UK National Anthem, God Save the Queen. As an American, I have always had a deep respect for this song, which represents the people of the United Kingdom (and to some extent, the peoples throughout the Commonwealth of Nations) through Her Majesty and also happens to share the same tune as our own My Country, Tis of Thee in the United States, which was our de facto national anthem until the Star-Spangled Banner was mandated by law in 1931. For these reasons, I have also tended to feel a bit of a chill down my spine upon hearing it and this was no different as I stood while the music swelled, the congregation sang with one heart and voice, and as the American connection was strengthened with Meghan’s participation.

     Immediately at the end of the anthem, the newly-married Duke and Duchess of Sussex bowed and curtsied before the Queen before gracefully proceeding up the aisle to the allegro of Boyce’s Symphony No. 1 in B♭, which provided for a pleasantly traditional setting. As they approached the West Door of the chapel, the cheers outside grew increasingly louder until they reached a crescendo upon the moment when the Duke and Duchess stepped outside and provided the kiss for which a lot of people had been waiting.

     This beautiful moment was witnessed personally by the lucky people – ordinary people from throughout the United Kingdom, as well as and including charity workers and volunteers of organizations supported by Harry and Meghan – who had been selected to be outside of the chapel doors and facing the couple as they exited and descended down the steps to await the horse-drawn Ascot Landau Carriage. As they did so, their immediate families – Prince Charles and Camilla, Doria Ragland, Prince William and Catherine, Prince George and Princess Charlotte – and the bridesmaids pageboys gathered at the top of the steps against the backdrop of the entrance, which along with the steps and like on the inside, had been beautifully decorated with flowers.

     Meanwhile, the orchestra had finished and the Kingdom Choir took over to close out the musical program with Etta James’s Amen/This Little Light of Mine by Jester Hairston and Harry Dixon Loes. Once again, I was on my feet as this combined song – another anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and a mainstay in the black gospel tradition – was performed to those still in the chapel, as well as those outside and watching/listening on various media platforms. Once again, the Kingdom Choir was on point with a spiritually soul-stirring performance of this song of hope and love in which there apparently was some clapping and moving about with the rhythm and beat of the music as Harry and Meghan climbed into the carriage. The choir concluded with their soloist initiating a final “A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-m-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-n!” as the carriage pulled away to take Harry and Meghan to greet the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, the crowds of people invited inside the grounds of Windsor Castle, and the much larger multitude of well-wishers with British and American flags through the town of Windsor to bring this part of their day to a close.

     And indeed, it had been an exceptional day throughout. The weather was perfect with a crisp blue sky and plenty of sunlight to shine down on everything and everybody, in contrast to the overcast and downright inclement weather which tends to be typical in the UK and has accompanied many a royal occasion, including the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and the Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant in 2012. Contingency plans of course, were in place for bad weather, but the British spring weather had well and truly turned out in full cooperation for this glorious day.

     Speaking of turning out, it was great to see Prince Philip in attendance, for in addition to retiring from official royal duties last year, he also underwent hip surgery last month and until few days before the wedding, it wasn’t clear if he had recovered sufficiently to appear at the ceremony. However, it was all but inconceivable that the Duke of Edinburgh, who will celebrate his 97^th birthday next month, would not be there to support his grandson, to whom he is known to be close in part because of their common connection to having taken part in active military combat. As it was, Prince Philip – living up to being the “Iron Duke” – showed up without the faintest appearance of having undergone surgery and got around on his own power without any help and seemingly as fit as ever.

     It’s certain that the Queen and other members of the Royal Family appreciated this, along with members of he public, for he has been a pillar of the family and a national mainstay alongside the Queen for more than six decades, and the Queen said as much when she commented during their 50^th anniversary in 1997 that he has been her “strength and stay.” The lack of his presence would have been supremely felt, so it a delight to see him there.

     Another delight was the Queen herself in her 67^th year on the throne and still providing that air of familiarity which surrounds her after all this time. She appeared happy knowing that her grandson is happy with the woman he loves, and with the feeling that she is happy with him, so as to be brought together in a marriage which one hopes will be long-lasting, much like the union between her and the Duke of Edinburgh – the 71^st anniversary of which is to be marked in November.

     As for the rest of the Royal Family, they appeared to be welcoming of this new marriage and the inclusion of Meghan and her mother. Prince Charles of course walked her down the aisle, but also accompanied Ms. Ragland to the signing of the register and then walked with arms linked between her and Camilla while they walked down the steps of the chapel together at the conclusion of the service – with prompted some people on social media to caption that moment as “Charlie’s Angels”. This was a moving gesture by the future king and queen of the United Kingdom and – in light of the events concerning the rest of the Markle clan – helped to lend credence to what Prince Harry meant when he said in a radio interview that the Windsor’s were “the family she’s never had” after she had spent last Christmas with them at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate.

     Arguably of greater importance is the degree to which she has also been broadly accepted by the British people, as well as the historic significance of her joining the Royal Family and the wedding itself, the meaning of which is hard not to overstate. It does indeed matter that a person identifying as “strong, confident mixed-race woman” is now in the ranks of one of the most ancient and storied monarchies in the world which reigns over a country which has had its share in the slave trade (before taking the lead in abolishing it) and colonizing parts of the world from which half of her ancestry is derived. Indeed, comparisons have been made with Barack Obama with his accession to the American presidency in 2009, and one Internet meme I have seen displays the rise from cotton fields to the White House to Buckingham Palace.

     Along with this rise comes the introduction of new faces and cultural strains – once pushed off to the fringes – into the mainstream, and this wedding had that on display in abundance, with the charismatic Bishop Michael Curry and the soul-stirring Kingdom Choir – both of whom, as some black people like to say, “tore it up” – in their respective roles during the wedding service. Indeed, it became clear that Meghan is not only not shy about her heritage, but wanted to share it. If anything, it also appears that Prince Charles encouraged this by assisting in the musical selection and finding the Kingdom Choir, with his office contacting the group to seek out their participation.

     This, combined with the inclusion of the Queen’s chaplain, Rose Hudson-Wilkin and the talented cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason – along with the attendance of prominent people such as Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams in prime seats across from the Royal Family – made for a royal wedding which was a seemingly effortless juxtaposition of modern and traditional, British and American, black and white. It was very much like royal weddings in the past, but with adapted to incorporate new elements to recognize what Meghan brings to the table as a suitable addition to the Royal Family, which is, at least in part, an African-American experience which is relatable to myself and many others.

     Indeed, the incorporation of black culture and black people into the proceedings on an unprecedented and unexpected level meant a lot to many of us because for the first time, we could see ourselves embedded into the fabric of this event and it affirmed that we are very much in the mainstream of British society.

     The result was that black Americans and Brits were excited about this wedding in a significant way, including those – particularly in the UK – who hitherto had been lukewarm at best about the monarchy, but believed that the wedding would help the Royal Family reflect some of the diversity of modern Britain. There were also people – including, as I said earlier, myself – who were interested in this wedding anyway because of a long-standing interest in the monarchy, but were also very much in tune with the added bonus of a person who looks like us and shares similar experiences becoming a member.

     An indication of this interest could be seen on Twitter, where there was much excitement from among black users as the ceremony unfolded, as well as at my church’s fish-fry later that day, where the wedding was the topic of conversation. Folks became interested in so much as the fact that one of the horses pulling the carriage was named “Tyrone”, because it is a name which is tends to be used for African-American males. Was this a coincidence, or is it more likely that said horse just happened to carry a name which in fact, is of Irish origin and is one of the counties of Northern Ireland? In my mind, this was a coincidence, but for others, it was just too good to be true.

     More personally (and seriously), for the first time, I was able to hold down a meaningful discussion about the monarchy with my mom, for she was genuinely into it and appeared appreciative of and interested in what I was able to do as far as informing her and enlightening her about the monarchy and how this particular wedding and Meghan becoming a member of the Royal Family was momentous for its potential to move the needle on race relations in a positive manner, if for no other reason than the symbolism it has generated.

     This, combined with the Royal Family’s efforts at outreach to all communities throughout Britain demonstrates that they are in tune with the need to adapt to the ever-increasing diversity of the United Kingdom going forward.

     Of course, there were some who questioned the appropriateness of the Kingdom Choir and Bishop Curry’s sermon for that event and in that setting, with a particular criticism toward the sermon for being too long, not fitting the occasion, and charges of grandstanding against Curry himself. My response to this is that if you walk into almost any predominantly black church in America, this is usually the preaching style and it’s not uncommon for sermons to go as long as 30 minutes – and sometimes, the preacher doesn’t not really get to the point. Therefore, the fact that he was, as the New York Times described, “speaking to British aristocrats and members of the royal family in the cadence of the black American church” is not shocking in a general sense, even though it was a bit surprising that he carried out the sermon in that style for the wedding, and he did so in the relatively short time of 15 minutes (albeit also in the style of many black preachers, paused to say he would wrap it up) with a clear point.

     More succinctly however, the Archbishop of Canterbury approved of him being there and appreciated the sermon, and to make a broader point, as a Twitter user named Harold Jacman pointed out:

“I’m going to wager the #RoyalFamily accepted an American preacher like Curry and a gospel choir the moment they accepted Meghan into the family, and they accepted Meghan into the family when they saw how happy she made Harry.”

     In this light, there is no doubt that they are learning from her and she from them as she goes along and becomes integrated into the family, with Harry at her side.

     Perhaps an indication of the significance of this marriage and what they hope to achieve are in the titles which the Queen gifted to Harry hours before the wedding, so that upon marriage, they became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Earl and Countess of Dumbarton, and Baron and Baroness Kilkeel. The last Duke of Sussex was Prince Augustus Frederick, the sixth son and ninth child of George III, who was known for being an abolitionist with regard to the slave trade and the Corn Laws, as well as an advocate for parliamentary reform, the removal of civil restrictions on Jews and dissenters, and Catholic emancipation.

     In reality though, the Sussex title had been rumored to be reserved for Harry for some time long before Meghan appeared in his life, but the previous holder’s credentials with regard to social change make this an appropriate title for a couple that have already shown their dedication to doing their part to make this world a better place, as expressed in Bishop Curry’s sermon. Indeed, among Harry’s official roles is that of a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador – working to forge links among young leaders throughout the Commonwealth of Nations and encouraging them to use Commonwealth platforms to solve challenges facing this generation – and Meghan will be part of that work. It is therefore not surprising that the long veil of her wedding dress contained floral representations of each of the 53 members of the Commonwealth.

     Time will tell how effective they will be in their roles – formal and informal – throughout the Commonwealth, the UK and elsewhere, but what cannot be denied is the symbolic impact of their union on the monarchy and its future, as well as on the society of the UK, particularly in the eyes of people of color on both sides of the Pond. As a person who has had an interest in this area for a long time, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching them get married in a fabulous ceremony which combined several elements to represent their respective backgrounds in an increasingly diverse society.

     As such, this was a wedding for everyone to enjoy, and indeed they did – from the 600 or so guests in St. George’s Chapel, to the 4,000 guests invited onto the grounds of Windsor Castle, to the tens of thousands of people on the streets of Windsor, and the millions (and potentially billions) of viewers throughout the UK and across the world. Through these multitudes of people, there was much support for the new royal couple as they were cheered on with best wishes. Indeed, with all that is going the world today, it was a good thing for the Duke and Duchess to bring us together and take us to church for a celebration of marriage which will not be forgotten for a long time to come, and filled with hope for the future, not only for themselves, but for all of us.