The Archbishop of Canterbury has contradicted Meghan Markle's claim to Orpah that she and Harry married in secret before their public ceremony. During the bombshell interview where the couple opened up about why they chose to step back from life as senior royals, Meghan said that they had a secret marriage ceremony with the archbishop, Justin Welby, in their backyard. The 39-year-old - who is pregnant with the couple's second child, a girl - said that no one knew they secretly tied the knot ahead of their public ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19, 2018. As per the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/30/archbishop-of-canterbury-harry-and-meghans-legal-wedding-was-on-saturday">Guardian</a>, it was later speculated that this ceremony couldn't have been legally binding because of its location and the need for witnesses. Instead, it could have only been an informal ceremony between, as Meghan described it, "just the two of us". <img class="wp-image-1263100845 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/03/Wedding-Legal-2.jpg" alt="Prince Harry and Meghan Markle." width="601" height="442" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Alamy / Paul Marriott]] Now, the Italian newspaper la Repubblica has asked Welby was asked his version of the events, and he explained that the legal marriage took place at the public ceremony on the Saturday, saying: "But I won't say what happened at any other meetings." The archbishop told the publication: "If any of you ever talk to a priest, you expect them to keep that talk confidential. 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 offense if I signed it knowing it was false." <img class="wp-image-1263100835 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/03/Wedding-Legal-1.jpg" alt="Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding." width="601" height="442" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Alamy / Xinhua]] Markle had originally told Oprah during the interview: "You know, three days before our wedding we got married. 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.'" The former Suits actress said that the vows they have framed are "just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury", with the couple asserting that it was "just the three of us." <h6>Featured image credit: Alamy / Andy Myatt</h6>

Archbishop of Canterbury says he married Harry and Meghan at public ceremony

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