Archbishop of Canterbury 'fallen under spell of Harry and Meghan'

2023-01-28

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby ‘has fallen under the spell of Harry and Meghan’ say Palace sources

Archbishop of Canterbury’s relationship with Harry and Meghan has deepened
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Justin Welby’s relationship with the Sussexes has deepened through a series of meetings since his first encounter with Meghan in the run-up to the wedding.

The world saw the Archbishop of Canterbury officiate at their wedding at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

The couple later revealed that he had also presided over an earlier ceremony in which they claimed they had got ‘married’ in secret.

Meghan told Oprah Winfrey in her sensational 2021 interview: ‘Three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that but we called the Archbishop and we just said, ‘This thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us’.

ALL SMILES: Justin Welby (rear) at Prince Harry (right) and Meghan’s (left) St George’s Chapel wedding

Justin Welby’s (pictured) relationship with the Sussexes has deepened through a series of meetings since his first encounter with Meghan in the run-up to the wedding

‘So the vows we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.’

The Archbishop later clarified the claims, saying: ‘I had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the Duke and Duchess before the wedding.

‘The legal wedding was on the Saturday.’

In 2019, the Archbishop christened the couple’s first child Archie in the private chapel at Windsor Castle.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on June 3 last year to mark the Platinum Jubilee

Two years later it emerged Welby had pulled out of attending the Church General Synod in York in order to officiate.

He has praised Meghan, saying: ‘She’s a person of profound humanity and deep concern for people, seeking to carry out her role with every ounce of her being – and I think she’s a remarkable person.’

In 2021 he expressed sympathy for Harry, telling the Financial Times that being in the Royal Family was ‘life without parole’ and the public expected them to be ‘superhuman’.

The relationship between Welby and the Sussexes has been known in the corridors of Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace for some time.

‘The closeness of the Archbishop and the Sussexes has been a subject of conversation for a while,’ said one well-placed source.

‘Justin clearly had a lot of sympathy for them [over Megxit] and we were shaking our heads wondering why he felt so sorry for them. It was like he had completely fallen under their spell.’

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