Harry and Meghan’s early ‘wedding’ not legally binding ceremony, according to Church of England rules

Confusion has arisen over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s claim that they were “married” three days before their official royal wedding that took place at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

The couple made the revelation during the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired in the UK on Monday night and saw them discuss their reasons for stepping away from the royal family.

Talking to Winfrey in a short clip filmed at their home in Santa Barbara, California, Meghan told the TV host: “You know, three days before our wedding, we got married.

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“No one knows that. But we called the Archbishop, and we just said, ‘Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us’.

“So, like, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

Harry chimed: “Just the three of us” before playfully singing the words to the tune of Bill Withers’s hit Eighties song, “Just The Two of Us”.

But the claim has elicited doubt among viewers, who have pointed out that, in the UK, a legally-binding marriage must be solemnized by a member of the clergy in either a church, or in a place specified in a special license, such as a chapel, and in the presence of two witnesses (who do not include the bride and groom).

The Church of England states that all CoE weddings legally require two witnesses to be present - this does not include the celebrant or the bride and groom themselves. This is also stated on the government website and on Citizens Advice.

The Church of England website adds: “As a witness, you must be present when the bride, groom make the declarations and exchange vows. After the marriage has taken place the vicar and the couple sign the marriage register, and you are required to sign it too.

“Along with the others, your signature finalises the legal paperwork for the marriage. Virtually any responsible adult can be a witness – all that’s required of you is being capable of writing a signature, and understanding what you have signed.”

This means that if Meghan and Harry did get “married” in their back garden with just themselves and the Archbishop present, that the “wedding” would have been purely symbolic rather than a legal exchange of vows.

Many people have questioned the couple’s claim on social media.

However, the Rev Tiffer Robinson, a Church of England vicar in Suffolk, wrote on Twitter that Meghan is “entitled to consider it her marriage if she wants to”.

They continued: “Americans are much less concerned with the specifics of marriage law than English clergy.

“Most of their wedding ceremonies aren’t legal weddings … saying ‘we really got married three days before in a secret ceremony’ is not actually the same as saying they were legally wed three days before everyone thought they were.”

The Faculty Office confirmed that a marriage license for the Sussexes had been signed on 14 May 2018.

“The Registrar of the @Faculty_Office has signed the special marriage license for HRH The Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be married in St George’s Chapel in Windsor,” they tweeted.

The royal wedding took place on 19 May 2018, with 18 million Britons tuning in to watch the live TV coverage.

In response to The Independent, a spokesperson for Lambeth Palace said: “The Archbishop does not comment on personal or pastoral matters so we aren’t commenting.”