Meghan Markle has been baptised into the Church of England in a secret ceremony with Prince Harry at her side. The intimate 45-minute service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Chapel Royal on Tuesday evening.
They were joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, but neither Prince William nor the Queen were present. Miss Markle’s baptism, which formally introduces her into the Anglican faith ahead of her wedding to Harry in two months, marks an important step on her transformation from divorced American actress to future granddaughter-in-law to the Queen.
The ceremony was a closely-guarded secret with only a handful of royal aides involved.
Miss Markle, 36, had asked the 62-year-old Archbishop, Justin Welby, to lead the service after forming a close bond with him in recent weeks as he instructed her on the rites and sacraments of the Church.
Her baptism was followed immediately by her confirmation, which means she will be able to join Harry, 33, at Holy Communion. Miss Markle did not need to become an Anglican in order to marry Harry in church, but at the time of their engagement last November she made clear she had chosen to be baptised and confirmed out of respect for the Queen’s role as the head of the Church of England.