Meghan Markle's Baptism was 'very special'

16 March 2018

Meghan Markle's baptism was "very special".

Meghan Markle

The former 'Suits' actress was welcomed into the Anglican church in an "intimate service" earlier this month, which was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the officiant has admitted it was a "great privilege" to carry out the ceremony.

He told ITV News: "It was very special. It was beautiful and sincere and very moving. It was a great privilege."

The archbishop will officiate Meghan's nuptials to Prince Harry at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel on May 19 and he admitted he is feeling the pressure at presiding over the wedding of the year, especially after dropping the bride's ring when his director of communications Ailsa Anderson wed journalist Simon Cole last September.

He joked: "Unlike recent weddings, I must not drop the ring, and I must not forget to get the vows in the right order as I did at the rehearsal for one of my children's weddings!"

The Archbishop, who has formed a close bond with the engaged couple as they prepare for their marriage, admitted he had made both mistakes in recent ceremonies, in a warm interview about the upcoming Royal wedding.

The Archbishop - who will officiate the vows between Meghan and Harry while the Rt Revd David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, will conduct the service - insisted the preparations for the pair's big day should be treated no differently to that of any other couple in love, albeit on a much bigger scale.

He said: "You know, at the heart of it is two people who have fallen in love with each other, who are committing their lives to each other with the most beautiful words and profound thoughts, who do it in the presence of God.

"Through Jesus Christ you pray for them to have the the strength to fulfill their vows and you seek to do it in a way that respects their integrity and honours their commitment.

"You just focus on the couple. It's their day.

"You talk about what they want in the wedding, discuss it with the Dean of Windsor, it's what you do for weddings, it's just on an infinitely larger scale."