The Surprising Admission Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Just Made About Their Backyard Wedding
Meghan Markle has come under fire after she revealed a surprising secret during her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 (via CBS). The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah that she and Prince Harry were actually married three days before their wedding at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. "You know, three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. The vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury," Meghan told Oprah (via The Sun).
Interestingly, The Sun obtained official documents that were provided by the General Register Office that listed Meghan and Harry's wedding date as May 19, 2018 — the day of the royal wedding. Stephen Borton, former chief clerk at the Faculty Office, told The Sun that Meghan and Harry's backyard wedding wasn't actually anything more than an emotional exchange of vows between two people. It was not recognized by any legal authority, either. "I'm sorry, but Meghan is obviously confused and clearly misinformed," Borton told the outlet. He added that he suspects the two exchanged "simple vows" that they had "perhaps written themselves" ahead of their actual wedding day. Borton revealed that he himself "helped draw up" the "special license" for the couple — and the date listed on that license was May 19, 2018.
Meghan and Harry have since responded to these claims. Read on to find out what they had to say.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry correct the statement
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a statement through a spokesperson in regard to the apparently false claims that they were actually married before their wedding day. "The couple exchanged personal vows a few days before their official/legal wedding on May 19," the spokesperson clarified in a statement given to the Daily Beast. And, as the site points out, there were additional holes in Meghan's recollection of her secret backyard wedding. In the UK, a "minimum of two witnesses are needed for a legal marriage to take place." Since Meghan shared that she and Harry were only with the Archbishop of Canterbury and no one else was present, that in and of itself makes the nuptials null.
But while that early wedding wasn't official or legal in any way, it served a couple of purposes. For starters, it was a sweet moment that Harry and Meghan were able to share without millions of people watching them. Secondly, that secret ceremony helped take the edge off for Meghan when it came to her official big day. "I've thought about this a lot because it was like having an out-of-body experience I was very present for. That's the only way I can describe it because the night before I slept through the night entirely, which in and of itself is a bit of a miracle," Meghan told Oprah (via People).