After breathless weeks of annoying my family and friends about it, the day finally arrived for me to sit down with a friend in front of her TV and watch the wedding of Prince Harry and his true love Meghan Markle. It was, of course, quite enjoyable to witness the handsome groom strut down the walk with his brother Prince William, who served as his best man alongside him, as he attempted to hide his nerves, and to see the angelic bride get out of her car as she strolled up the steps of St. George's Chapel and began gliding down the aisle, first solo then escorted down the remaining part of the aisle with her father-in-law Prince Charles. It was beautiful to witness the barely restrained adoration of Prince Harry as Meghan reached the altar.
With the exterior of the chapel arrayed with gorgeous flowers, this enamored couple stared lovingly at each other in the presence of their nearest and dearest, including one woman in pastel green with her locs flowing from beneath an elegant hat. This resplendent brown-skinned woman, Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland, social worker and part-time yoga teacher, a lover of Al Green, free-spirited wearer of a nose ring, was front and center, beaming with awe and pride, and with the whole world watching, representing a legacy of black American women who've endured and risen with ultimate grace.
As Ms. Ragland, along with 600 others, bore witness, Bishop Michael Curry, the first black person to serve as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S, commenced to bring forth black church into St. George's. Invoking the spirits of those who suffered through the grave inhumanity of slavery, he spoke of how these men and women utilized the negro spiritual There is a Healing Balm in Gilead to express their love of the healing power of God, and how this belief can bring about world-changing love, as evidenced by the bride and groom's strong love for each other and passion for improving the world around them.
With the rafters of this 14th-century house of worship properly shaken, the healing power of music floated through the ornate chapel as South London's all-black Kingdom Choir sang their heavenly rendition of the Ben E. King classic Stand by Me.
After the couple had exchanged vows, they went off to sign the marriage register while those in the church were treated to a cello solo by 19 year-old Britain's Got Talent finalist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Finally to top off this day of grand romance and demonstration of black American culture, the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex exited the ceremony to the sounds of the Kingdom Choir singing Etta James' This Little Light of Mine, as they greeted the jubilant crowds and made their way to the carriage that would whisk them through the streets of Windsor.
As a romantic, I was so delighted to see how obviously in love with each other this couple were, but I was overjoyed that the Duchess of Sussex defied the common perception that biracials are running away from their black heritage as she and her new husband left their wedding to both live out their own love story and heed Bishop Curry's message to make the world at large a more loving place.
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