Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Wedding Vows Compared To William & Kate’s Reveal A Break In Tradition
It's no secret that May 19 is sure to be one of the most beautiful days in royal wedding history, but this ceremony is a bit unlike its predecessors. Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding vows vs. William and Kate's prove that even though these two couples are different, the love is still strong. There's nothing quite like a royal wedding to get me really excited.
I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that everyone is excited to see Meghan Markle and Prince Harry say "I do" at St George's Chapel in Windsor, U.K. The couple announced their engagement in November 2017, and since we've all been eagerly awaiting the moment Markle struts her stuff down that aisle. Even though these shindigs ignite excitement in people worldwide, perhaps what makes this ceremony so special is that it's obvious Markle and Prince Harry aren't your average royal couple. As the two continue to bend royal tradition, it's led a lot of the public to wonder what the couple's vows will be like. It's already been determined that Markle and Prince Harry plan to use the church's vows, but it's still unclear about the exact wording that will be used. (Though the official royal wedding program does list traditional vows for the couple.)
Well, if it's anything like William and Kate's 2011 nuptials, they'll be pretty standard.
For those who aren't complete experts on royal wedding vows, here's a quick breakdown. The traditional wedding vows stem from the Church of England's Anglican Book of Common Prayer, and I have to say it's pretty archaic. In the original vows, the bride had to promise to "love, cherish, and obey" her husband. Thanks, but no thanks. Clearly, I'm not the only one who wasn't a fan of that wording. In 1981, during her wedding to Prince Charles, Princess Diana famously left out the word "obey" while reciting her nuptials. What a queen (pun intended). Then, Kate Middleton followed suit by leaving out the word in her vows as well. So, I wouldn't be surprised if the word "obey" didn't come out of Markle's mouth during Saturday's ceremony.
Middleton may have left out "obey" in her vows, but the rest of the nuptials were pretty to the point. Here's how they went down.
Middleton said,
I, Catherine Elizabeth, take thee, William Arthur Philip Louis, to my wedded 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; and thereto I give thee my troth.
Simple, straightforward, and full of plenty of love. I still get chills thinking about their wedding day.
I wouldn't be surprised if Markle and Prince Harry's vows were similar to William and Kate's, but that might be the only tradition this couple embraces. They've already completely solidified themselves as a one of a kind royal pair. Not only has Markle defied tradition by being an American actress with no royal background, but she's also been married once before. However, Markle isn't the only one defying royal norms. On May 3, Metro reported that Prince Harry would break royal tradition by wearing a wedding ring after he and Markle exchange vows on May 19. This is a vast difference from his brother, Prince William, who decided to go barehanded to keep with family tradition.
When asked about Prince William's decision to not wear a ring, a palace aide spoke to Metro and relayed that jewelry isn't really up the Duke of Cambridge's alley.
"It was something the couple discussed but Prince William isn’t one for jewellery – he doesn’t even wear a signet ring – and decided he didn’t want to," the aide said.
According to the royal wedding program, here are the vows that the couple will exchange on Saturday, May 19.
Harry:
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.
Meghan's are, of course, the same:
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.
Already, you can see how different that Meghan and Harry's vows are compared to William and Kate's. Instead of saying "and thereto I give thee my troth," Meghan and Harry will say "In the presence of God I make this vow." (If you're as curious as I was about what a "troth" is, it's defined as "faith or loyalty when pledged in a solemn agreement or undertaking.")
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding promises to be just as beautiful as William and Kate's. Plus, hopefully a precious moment like this will go down during the ceremony.
Have your tissues ready, folks.
