Modern vows and 'Stand By Me': Here's the complete order of service for the royal wedding
Modern vows. Classic hymns. Ben E. King's "Stand By Me." That's a taste of what to expect at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Marle on Saturday.
At midnight, the Palace released the complete Order of Service for the royal wedding, finally providing the outside world a full look at how the eagerly anticipated nuptials will go down.
Scroll down for the full order of services, but here are some of the key details:
Arrivals
- At 11.25 a.m. (all times local), certain members of the Royal Family will arrive at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the site of the wedding.
- The groom Prince Harry will arrive along with his Best Man (his brother, Prince William) at 11.40 a.m.
- At 11.42 a.m. the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles (Prince Harry's father) arrives with Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, his wife.
- Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland arrives at 11.45 a.m. (Meghan Markle's father will not be attending following reported surgery, though his name is still in the order of service.)
- Then Queen Elizabeth II arrives, at 11.52 a.m.
- When the bride herself arrives, Meghan Markle, the congregation will stand and a fanfare will sound. Meghan Markle will be escorted down the aisle by Prince Charles rather than her father - but she will make much of the walk by herself.
- Next up is an introit, a type of psalm, then the Dean of Windsor greets the congregation.
The declaration
Here are the declarations, which will be led by the Dean of Windsor:
First, I am required to ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.
The Archbishop says to the Couple
The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of God, who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts; therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.
The Archbishop says to the Bridegroom
HARRY, will you take MEGHAN to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
He answers
I will.
The Archbishop says to the Bride
MEGHAN, will you take HARRY to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
She answers
I will.
The Archbishop says to the congregation
Will you, the families and friends of HARRY and MEGHAN, support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?
All answer
We will.
Next comes a prayer, readings and an addresses, and Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," performed by Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir.
The Vows
Next up, it's the vows. It's worth noting that Meghan will not promise to obey her husband.
HARRY and MEGHAN, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows, in the presence of God and his people.
The Bride and Bridegroom face each other and join hands. The Bridegroom says
I HARRY, take you, MEGHAN, to be my wife, to have and to hold from , this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.
The Bride says
I MEGHAN, take you, HARRY, to be my husband, to have and to hold , from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.
Heavenly Father, by your blessing let these rings be to HARRY and MEGHAN a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, to remind them of the vow and covenant which they have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Bridegroom places the ring on the fourth finger of the Bride's left hand and, holding it there, says
MEGHAN, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
They loose hands and the Bride places a ring on the fourth finger of the Bridegroom's left hand and, holding it there, says
HARRY, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All remain seated.
The Archbishop addresses the people
IN the presence of God, and before this congregation, HARRY and MEGHAN have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.
The Archbishop joins their right hands together and says
Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
Then it's more prayers, more hymns, "God Save the Queen," and the procession of bride and groom, After that, it's all over - and the rest of their lives begin.