- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry became husband and wife at the royal wedding on May 19.
- During the ceremony, a sermon was delivered by American bishop Michael Curry.
- Markle and Prince Harry reportedly hand-picked Curry, whose sermon highlighted unity and included references to the black experience.
- Curry is the son of a noted civil rights activist and has been an outspoken defender of gay rights.
- His impassioned sermon was a hit among American viewers — and was a marked difference from the typically reserved tone of the British royal family.
Meghan Markle has only just become a member of the royal family, but the Duchess of Sussex has already made it clear that she will pave her own way through history.
In fact, Markle's influence has already made an impact on the typically proper, private, and reserved demeanor of the British royal family. As noted on The Today Show by an American attendee of the royal wedding — who was also in attendance at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 — Markle's wedding to Prince Harry felt "more free" and less formal.
One major reason why the ceremony had this effect was the exuberant and outgoing tone of the sermon, delivered by American bishop and Chicago native Michael Curry. Curry was reportedly hand-picked by Markle and Harry to speak on their big day.
As Vox notes, this selection was a break with tradition in itself. Customarily, according to royal protocol, only British priests and senior members of the Church of England are invited to speak at royal weddings.
Curry has already made history in his own right. The 65-year-old became the first black person to lead the Episcopal Church in 2015, according to CNN.
His entertaining, melodramatic, comfortable style was a far cry from what British viewers may have expected — though Kensington Palace described him as "an appropriate figure" to speak in an official statement, according to The Telegraph.
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and the leader of the Church of England, also gave Curry his blessing via social media. Welby officiated the ceremony.
I'm thrilled that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have asked Bishop Michael Curry to preach at their wedding. @PB_Curry is a brilliant pastor, stunning preacher and someone with a great gift for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) May 12, 2018
During his sermon, Curry made waves on Twitter with his focus on civil rights and explicit references to the black experience. He spoke about love's "power to change the world" and recited lines from an African American spiritual — an oral tradition that imparted Christian values while also describing the hardships of slavery.
Curry began and ended his sermon by quoting the civil rights hero and reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we discover that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world. Love is the only way."
A BLACK BISHOP IS PREACHING AT THE ROYAL WEDDING HE QUOTED MARTIN LUTHER KING JR THANK YOU MY GOOD SIS MEGHAN
— joshlyn manickum (@pianogurl13) May 19, 2018
Bishop Michael Curry😂😂😂😂😂 Your Preaching at the Royal Wedding will go down in history😂👌🏿💯
— Akec Makur Chuot (@AkecMakur) May 19, 2018
Ati I should end it there so y’all can get married 😂😂😂 Us black people honestly do the absolute most — watching Royal Wedding 2018 Live-Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Wedding
Fox News editor Green Keith Gaynor praised the selection of Curry — and videotaped the reactions of wedding attendees during the ceremony.
A Black American bishop officiating the British royal wedding of a Black ‘princess,’ referencing slavery and quoting the words of MLK, who transformed the world with radical speech of love despite the hate that was (still is) ever so present...just wow! #royalwedding
— Gerren Keith Gaynor (@MrGerrenalist) May 19, 2018
When your coloniser senses can’t understand black preaching pic.twitter.com/xv8grOJjIs
— #InTune (@Fourens_) May 19, 2018
British journalist Neal Collins also noted that some people seemed "stunned" by the sermon.
Michael Curry is delivering the address at the #RoyalWedding. He's 64, allows gay marriage, first black presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, which is Anglican like the Church of England. @QueenLizzyII looks stunned. Elton too. Fantastic. LIKE NO OTHER ROYAL WEDDING pic.twitter.com/gpnp5UoxUB
— Neal Collins (@nealcol) May 19, 2018
JESUS DID. NOT GET AN HONORARY DOCTORATE FOR DYING #MichaelCurry LIKE NO OTHER ROYAL WEDDING #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/LhrRAo2Zhd
— Neal Collins (@nealcol) May 19, 2018
Curry is the son of a civil rights activist, according to the Washington Post. He is a noted critic of President Donald Trump and outspoken supporter of gay rights. In fact, as a bishop in North Carolina, he was one of the first to perform same-sex marriages in church.
The extraordinarily progressive sermon is another indication of the rapid modernization of the crown — aided and expedited by an American, biracial, feminist actress.
More on the royal wedding:
- Kate Middleton wore one of her past outfits for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding — and people think she did it on purpose
- Meghan Markle's mom kept her nose ring for the royal wedding — and people are obsessed
- Meghan Markle made a change to her vows — and it sends a message about the tone of her marriage to Prince Harry
- All the best moments from the royal wedding that you may have missed
- Here are the first photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as a married couple
You can read all of INSIDER's royal wedding coverage here.
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