The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — broke long-standing tradition and seemed to mark a new era for the royal family. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. David Conner, the dean of Windsor, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Most Rev. Michael Curry also spoke, and did so in a style unfamiliar to past royal weddings. Curry, the first African-American to serve as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, delivered a rousing sermon about the power of love. He spoke to CBS News’ Mark Phillips before his show-stealing speech.
“For you, Bishop Curry, is there something special for you to participate in an event like this. Do you see it as inclusive in that respect, that someone like you from the American church, the American Episcopal Church being here in the heart of the Church of England, does that make any kind of difference to you?” Phillips asked.
“Well, to be sure, the Church of England is the mother church and so it’s always to be good in mama’s house,” Curry joked, to which Welby replied, “I can’t believe you just said that, I really can’t believe you just said that, I think it’s absolutely fantastic.”
As for what kind of style Curry had planned to bring to the sermon, he planned to be himself.
“I have no idea, I’m just going to show up… I’ll never forget my daddy told me when I was fairly new as a priest, he said just always be who you really are. Don’t pretend to be someone else,” Curry said.
Curry’s address was followed by a non-traditional type of song. A rendition of “Stand By Me” sung by Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir.
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