Meghan Markle and Harry's claims of private wedding 'misinformed', says ex-clerk: 'Three witnesses aren't enough'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's claims have been called lies after the revelation of their wedding certificate that proves that their official ceremony was the one that took place in front of thousands of people on live television.
Meghan had claimed in the interview with Oprah Winfrey, "You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that." Harry had then said that it had been just two of them and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who was present when their vows had been exchanged.
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At this time, the two had supposedly said vows that were written by themselves in a simple ceremony. This predates the ceremony that took place in May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The claim had led to many taking issue with the couple's statement and here's how.
Stephen Borton, former chief clerk at the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury is the one who drew up the wedding license of the couple and in an interview with The Sun, he said "I’m sorry, but Meghan is obviously confused and clearly misinformed."
The vows that they had exchanged were not official, Borton said. He informed, "They did not marry three days earlier in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The special license 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."
He added that he suspected that the couple had exchanged "some simple vows" which they had written themselves and was said before the Archbishop. Speaking on why this simple ceremony could not be official, Borton explained that the grounds of Nottingham Cottage were not the recognized venue for the wedding and also added that three people aren't enough witnesses for a valid ceremony.
According to the report, the Archbishop of Canterbury had said that he will not comment on personal or pastoral matters. Meghan had said during the interview, "No-one knows that but we called the Archbishop (of Canterbury) and we just said 'this thing, this spectacle is for the world but we want our union between us'."
In the aftermath of the interview, doubts were cast if Meghan's claims were really true. In one of the reports the vicar at St Matthew’s Church in Dinnington, and St Cuthbert’s Church in Brunswick were quoted as saying they had been told by a Lambeth Palace staff member that “Justin [Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury] does not do private weddings. Meghan is an American, she does not understand.”