Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury officiated a marriage ceremony between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle three days before the royal wedding. In her interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired at the weekend, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that the couple said their vows in their back garden.
"Three days before our wedding we got married. The vows we have framed," she explained. "We called the archbishop, and we just said, 'Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us."
Meghan added that the wedding was "just the two of us in our back yard with the Archbishop of Canterbury" and that "no one knew" about the secret occasion. "Just the three of us, just the three of us," Harry jokingly interjected. Justin Welby has not revealed any information about the private ceremony.
The couple spoke candidly about their struggles with royal life, family tensions and their life in the media spotlight. At one point, Meghan said the situation became so difficult that she "didn't want to be alive any more".
She noted that a particular low point was when a royal family member asked Harry about "how dark" their son Archie's skin was going to be.
In addition, Harry claimed that his father, Prince Charles, stopped answering his phone calls once the pair had stepped back from royal duties.
Patrick Regan, CEO of Christian mental health charity Kintsugi Hope, commended Meghan for being brave enough to be open about her struggles.
“Talking about mental health is so important and tackling shame, tackling stigma,” he told Premier.
He added: “I think the temptation with the Meghan interview is that we all start judging. We only know a tiny part of this, and I feel like we need to respond in kindness and compassion. They are normal human beings with emotions… they're obviously be going through a tough time and they need compassion.”
Last week, Buckingham Palace revealed it was opening an investigation into claims that the Duchess bullied members of her staff while living at Kensington Palace. According to The Times, the palace claims that her behaviour drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member. The allegations first emerged in 2018.
"Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
"The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace."
A spokesperson for the Sussexes dismissed the claims "a calculated smear campaign" against the couple, ahead of their interview with Oprah.