The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken about the claim he presided over a 'secret' wedding for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ahead of their official ceremony.
Meghan claimed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was also screened on ITV, that they were married in their back garden three days before the ceremony at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
She told the presenter: "We called the Archbishop and we just said: 'Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us.'"
It raised questions about the legality of their wedding, prompting their spokesman to clarify the marriage was really a private exchange of vows.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby, who has not spoken on the issue so far, was asked by La Repubblica if he married the couple in secret.
“If you talk to a priest, you expect them to keep that talk confidential,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who I’m talking to. I had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the Duke and Duchess before the wedding. The legal wedding was on the Saturday.
"I signed the wedding certificate, which is a legal document, and I would have committed a serious criminal offence if I signed it knowing it was false.”
