Meghan Markle was baptized in the Anglican church out of respect for the Queen

Meghan Markle and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the first annual Royal Foundation Forum held at Aviva in London

Soon after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement last year, there was a lot of speculation about Meghan’s religion. She attended Catholic school, but it was believed that her father might be Jewish, and her first husband was Jewish and no one really knew if she converted to marry him. There was seriously a flurry of speculation about it, but none of that mattered because Kensington Palace privately confirmed that Meghan would be baptized in the Anglican church anyway ahead of the wedding. Well, here’s another confirmation for the people in the back:

Prince Harry’s fiancèe Meghan Markle — who was raised Protestant, attended a Catholic school and was once married to a Jewish man — will be baptized and confirmed as an Anglican, the Sunday Times of London reported. The Archbishop of Canterbury will preside at the ceremony at Kensington Palace, the newspaper said.

Among those who will attend the ceremony, which will be held this month — possibly as early as this week — are her parents. Her father, Thomas, lives in Mexico and has not yet met his future son-in-law. Her mom, Doria Ragland, will be coming to London from her home in California.

The bride-to-be does not have to be Anglican to marry the prince. The report said she chose to be baptized as a sign of respect for Queen Elizabeth’s role as head of the Church of England.

The couple will marry on May 19 in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. Her dad and mom are Protestant. They divorced when she was six. She went to the Catholic Immaculate Heart girls-only high school. Her first husband, Trevor Engelson, was Jewish.

[From Page Six]

Well, there you go. In modern times, this isn’t a big deal whatsoever – many people convert for their spouses, and I suspect that Meghan has never been much of a church-goer up until now anyway. If I was marrying “the hot prince” I would probably agree to be baptized as an Anglican too, just to get people off my heathen ass. Also: the baptism apparently happened this week, and Harry attended.

Also: people always conveniently forget this, but the Duchess of Cambridge did something very similar. She wasn’t raised to be particularly religious but she was baptized, as a child, in the Anglican church. After Kate and William got engaged, she was quietly confirmed in the Anglican church just before the wedding (like, just days before the wedding). It was always going to be more important for Kate, considering she was marrying the future King. No one *should* care about Meghan’s religious status, but I totally understand why she’s doing this. People are just looking for a reason to jump up her ass over anything, so best to not give them any material.

Meghan Markle and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the first annual Royal Foundation Forum held at Aviva in London

Meghan Markle and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the first annual Royal Foundation Forum held at Aviva in London

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

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110 Responses to “Meghan Markle was baptized in the Anglican church out of respect for the Queen”

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  1. Kitty says:

    I’m not religious, neither is my spouse, but we did get our daughter baptized just out of respect for our grandmothers, just didn’t want to argue about it. Plus it kept them off our back about not being married.

  2. Becks says:

    We baptized my son out of respect for my grandfather (my son is named after him and my grandfather was super religious and passed away when my son was a few months old). We are not especially religious.

    So I think a lot of people can understand Meghan’s position here and agree with it.

    • Clare says:

      My husband ‘converted’ to marry me, because it was important to my parents.
      In hindsight I feel like it was the wrong thing to do and no one should have to change (or pretend to change) to please their family.

      So, yeah, I totally see her position, but I’m not sure I agree with it. What I AM sure about is that it’s none of my damn business what religion she conforms (or pretends to conform) to.

      • Rhys says:

        @Clare – I agree with you. In my opinion (of an atheist at that) religion is a private matter and should be chosen because someone believes not because it’s convenient or is expected of him or her. That being said, it’s her life, her choices.

    • notasugarhere says:

      It makes sense to me, Becks. Sometimes you do these things for the happiness of other people, and guess what, if there is a Divine I’d bet they’re okay with that. So many horrific things are done in the name of God; I’d don’t think this baptism registers anywhere on the meter.

      Letizia of Spain was rumored to be atheist. Raised Catholic, not confirmed. She was confirmed just before her wedding to Felipe.

      Mary of Denmark converted to marry Frederick. Marie converted to marry Joachim. Charlene of Monaco converted to marry Albert II.

      Maxima looked at converting to Protestant but didn’t. They may have gotten a special dispensation not to raise the kids Catholic. Willem-Alexander temporarily lost his spot in line to the British throne for marrying a Catholic, but was restored in 2015. About 1/4 of The Netherlands is Catholic, so her remaining Catholic wasn’t a big issue.

      • JustBitchy says:

        Nota, I was unaware but always curious of the Maxima W-A situation. What happened in 2015? He was crowned king in 2013 right?

      • LAK says:

        Justbitchy: In 2015, the UK removed the law forbidding catholics or those married to catholics from inheriting the British throne.

        By marrying a Catholic in 2003, WA was automatically removed from the line of succession to the British Throne. After the law change in 2015, he was all restored to the line of Succession. He is thought to be at no 889.

      • Cee says:

        Maxima got a Papal dispensation stating that any children born out that marriage would be recognised as legitimate by the Catholic Church. Prior to the wedding it was announced that any future children would be raised in the protestant church.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Thanks, Cee. I figured there must have been something behind the scenes with the Catholic Church on that one.

        LAK the only change I have to that is they married February 2, 2002 (22-2-2002, 2-22-2002). Someone thought that looked like a lucky day.

      • LAK says:

        Thanks For correction Nota. For some reason i always think they married in 2003. And i never remember to check. 😊

      • Lorelai says:

        2.22.2002 is an awesome anniversary!

    • KiddV says:

      I’m agnostic and would never convert for anyone. When I was single I actually stopped dating a couple of guys once I found out they were religious, or came from a religious family, didn’t matter which religion. That was not something I was willing to deal with.

      But, having said that, if I were in Meghan’s position, I would get baptized. Her situation isn’t normal and, to me, it makes sense to do this. There’s already so much hatred thrown at her for things she can’t control, this is something she can control.

      • Bella Dupont says:

        She’s still being attacked viciously (on Daily Fail) for converting “once again” for a man. Truth is, she would have been criticized regardless of which way she went on this, so might as well do what makes her happy.

        As someone who was born catholic, brought up Anglican, converted to athiesm, and now an Anglican leaning Agnostic, I understand her plight. Religion is an incredibly complex and personal notion. Nobody should be able to judge anyone else.

      • stinky says:

        lol – that’s what religion is ALL ABOUT! judging the other team.

      • Bella Dupont says:

        Actually, scarily, you ARE right! 🙂

      • LAK says:

        Stinky: Right!?!😊

      • KiddV says:

        LOL!

  3. Beluga says:

    Those just looking for a reason to jump on her ass are now complaining that she’s converted. She can’t do right for doing wrong… Never underestimate people’s ability to declare everything wrong about someone they’ve decided not to like!

    • anon says:

      lol:) that sounds like folks on this site criticizing kate..

      • Linda says:

        I was thinking the same thing. The people’s comments about Kate on this site comes to mind

      • Bella Dupont says:

        To be fair, people have cooled off considerably on the sharp attacks since she started stepping things up (allegedly since Meghan). 🙂

      • Fire&Blood says:

        And there are plenty of other sites where Kate can do no wrong according to its commentators so really Celebitchy is providing a much needed balance.

        Just as it counteracts the vileness spouted off about Meghan in the Daily Mail comments which goes beyond the realm of criticism.

      • magnoliarose says:

        @Fire and Balance

        Thank you. It is true. This site attracts outspoken women and some men who make good arguments. I like the writers and types of stories. I find Kaiser funny and irreverent, so it makes it a good fit for certain types.
        I like that it isn’t stan time all the time or gushy.
        I stick up for Meghan because she hasn’t done anything wrong to deserve the ire. So we defend her.

      • Bellagio DuPont says:

        @ Magnoliarose

        Hear, hear! 😉

      • Veronica says:

        @anon
        LOL!!!
        +1000

      • Olenna says:

        Fascinating. Some people have no shame. LOL!

        On another note, I second the hear, hears!

    • Lorelai says:

      @Beluga this is so spot-on when it comes to Meghan’s detractors:

      “Never underestimate people’s ability to declare everything wrong about someone they’ve decided not to like!”

      There are some (cough, racist) people who will always find fault with Meghan no matter what wonderful things she might do.

      I totally disagree that there is any similarity between that and the negative comments about Kate on this site, though. True, Kate isn’t very popular here, but people do have legitimate reasons for their complaints about her (#1 being her lack of work ethic, #2 her overspending, #3, being caught lying — the list goes oh and on.). With Meghan, there were many people who were vicious from day one with absolutely no basis for it. Except their feeling that she wasn’t who they thought Harry “should” be with. 🙄

      As others said, there are many Kate fan sites where she is fawned over constantly, no matter what she does, so CB provides the counterbalance.

  4. Hh says:

    Her dad still hasn’t met Harry? Do you think they’ve at least talked on the phone? That part kind of makes this feel a little rushed. I will say, however, that I’m far more close to my mom than dad. I would look for her sign of approval and get her opinion on someone, moreso than my father. Though, I don’t know if I’d marry someone who hadn’t met my father.

    Also, in those pictures Meghan has such a sparkle in her eye. It’s lovely.

    • Kitty says:

      It seems to me like Meghan and her father aren’t very close, I’m sure she doesn’t need his opinion on who she wants to marry

      • magnoliarose says:

        I don’t think they are close either. I don’t know the story behind it, there always is one, but she has a mother she loves and did a great job on her own so Meghan may not feel he is an essential part of her life.

    • Cynical Ann says:

      They said in their engagement interview that Harry and her father had talked by phone. I get the feeling that her dad has some financial, and possibly medical, issues, and moved from LA to Baja California a while ago and is kind of “off the grid.” From what I’m gleaning, she was close to her dad growing up, (in interviews when she was on Suits she said she spent a lot of time on the sets he worked on). But in the last several years they’ve been geographically apart-and she seems much closer to her mom.

    • notasugarhere says:

      He is a private person and has made it clear he wants nothing to do with the press. Why gossip about him? Sophie’s father is left alone, why not Meghan’s?

      Why would Harry need to have met her father? Not everyone has a traditional family set up. A woman does not need permission from her father to marry, nor to be given away at her wedding.

      • Polly says:

        Sophie’s father is left alone because people (other than royal watchers) aren’t interested in Sophie or her family. MM generates a lot of interest from both fans and detractors, so there will be interest in her family. Hopefully the press will leave him alone after the wedding but I doubt it.

      • notasugarhere says:

        None of us, press included, have the right to interfere in the life of a private person who has made it clear they want to remain private. Whether or not interest dies down, I hope he takes legal measures to get the press off his back.

  5. littlemissnaughty says:

    I get doing these things for other people. In principle. I was baptized for my grandmother and even my (atheist, religion-hating) father agreed because of her. I was never confirmed because I refused. But if it means nothing to the person doing it, how does it mean something to anyone else? Clearly, Kate didn’t care enough to get confirmed as a teen. Meghan is only doing it for the Queen. It’s like getting married for lower taxes. How does that have any meaning?

    • AbbyRose says:

      Is she just going through the motions to keep everyone happy? If you don’t genuinely believe, just don’t get baptized. If you respect the fact that someone is religious, don’t trivialize one of their sacraments by doing it even if you don’t believe it (or worse, think that it’s ridiculous and meaningless). I’m going to give Meghan the benefit of the doubt because we don’t know what’s in her mind or heart regarding religion, but none of the younger royals seem very devout.

      • Kitty says:

        My spouse and I aren’t religious at all but we had our daughter baptized out of respect for our grandmothers. They are in their 80s and ver traditional and religious. I don’t see a problem with doing it to make them happy. They still don’t understand why 15 years into our relationship that we haven’t married so I figured doing the baptism would help a lot. No biggie.

      • Evie says:

        My thoughts exactly, Abby. It’s one thing if you’re baptizing an infant just “out of respect” because it’s not their choice anyway. But for an adult making a decision to do this, it seems disrespectful to me.

        I don’t know very much about Anglican baptisms, but in my church, when we’re baptized, we publicly declare our devotion to Christ and dedicate the rest of lives to honoring him by living the gospel. Prayer, studying the scriptures, attending church, performing service for others. Will she also do those things “out of respect”? It seems insulting to the members of a church to be baptized if you’re not sincere and take the ceremony and its meaning seriously.

        It’s sort of baffling that she did this “out of respect” when as you said, it seems to trivialize it. You’d think it would be more respectful to attend services, just learn and show an interest, than to just go through the motions of something they hold as holy.

      • Kitty says:

        I grew up Catholic and attended church and Sunday school until I was 16 and then I told my mother that it wasn’t for me and I no longer wanted to be involved. She was fine with it. I’m not completely ingnorant of baptism and what it means, but I don’t think I was trivializing anybody’s beliefs. I respect my grandmothers and their beliefs, I just don’t share them. They both asked me to have my daughter baptized in church, I had to attend seven weeks of church on Sunday’s to be able to have her baptized there.

        So many horrible things are done in the name of God/gods these days, I highly doubt anyone is going to look down on myself or my family because I did something to make two old ladies happy.

      • Ex-Mel says:

        @AbbyRose:
        Agree completely. I am a non-confirmed Catholic, not a church-goer, and I am often plagued by doubts (as even saints were), but I don’t think religion is something to be toyed with. It trivialises it, and demeans the truly religious.

  6. Peg says:

    Meghan is 36.
    Rush, is marrying someone you met a week ago.
    Sure there was a story out there, that Harry asked the Dad’s permission to marry his daughter, (Skype, FaceTime, etc) and he might have even asked the Mother.
    Harry and Meghan are in Birmingham today.

  7. Enough Already says:

    it’s not really converting if she’s still a Protestant, I believe. I bet this has more to do with possible children than it does the queen. Those babies will def have to be christened Anglican.

    • Maria says:

      Exactly! And she was probably already baptized in the Catholic Church since she was educated in the faith.

      • Jessica says:

        Uh, plenty of non Catholics go to Catholic schools.

      • Swack says:

        Many Catholic schools accept non-Catholics. So she wasn’t necessarily baptized in the Catholic Church.

      • Jayna says:

        I have lots of friends who aren’t Catholic who attended Catholic schools, My nephew did, and he was raised in a non-denominational church.

      • M.A.F. says:

        I teach at a Catholic school and not every student we accept is Catholic. Same goes for some of the teachers.

    • Enough Already says:

      What a strange assumption. Countless Catholic students receive an education without converting to the denomination through baptism. Lol I’ll admit the tuition reduction is quite tempting but our family never even remotely considered converting just because the girls attended Catholic school, despite the youngest one’s pleas. Years later she admitted that she just *really* wanted the sacrament wafers!

      • Bella Dupont says:

        Lol!

      • magnoliarose says:

        Haha. When I was down south for a hot minute, I wanted to be a nun because I thought the habits were cool and it fascinated me. Then when my cousin was confirmed, I wanted to do that too but only for the dresses. I was around six at the time.

    • Maria says:

      Yes, but I believe the non Catholics have to be baptized or at least show a baptismal certificate from somewhere. Don’t know if it still like that but it used to be when Meghan was a child. I remember when friends of mine tried to enrol their children (who are now Meghan’s age) in Catholic school, they had to get a letter from their priest, and If they couldn’t, had to show proof of baptism from any denomination. Maybe it’s not like that anymore but it was30 years ago.

      • Cynical Ann says:

        Nonsense. My muslim cousins went to Catholic high school, a few of my Jewish friends send their kids to Catholic schools-no baptism or proof of Catholic background. I’m much older than Meghan, and there were plenty of non Catholics at my Catholic high school.

      • Brandy Alexander says:

        No, it’s not like that. My Jewish husband went to catholic school for the sports program. He wasn’t baptized, and they didn’t care. He did have to take the religion classes though, and says he really struggled with them.

        Also, if you were already baptized Christian, you don’t have to be re-baptized Catholic. I wasn’t baptized Catholic because my parents weren’t married and they wouldn’t do it at the time. When it came time make my first communion, we just had to show that I had been baptized with water, and they accepted it.

      • Maria says:

        Nota, did I say that they wouldn’t raise their children as Anglicans?Please don’t put words in my mouth. They don’t even have children. I was simply addressing the point that another poster brought up that babies can’t be responsible for their beliefs at their baptism.
        As for Meghan, if you re-read my comment, I said she was responsible for what she did, and I respect her for that. I never said she wasn’t sincere.

      • Maria says:

        It may not have been like that where you were but it was the case where I am. So please don’t say it’s nonsense or that it wasn’t like that. It’s tantamount to calling me a liar.

      • BrandyAlexander says:

        Maria, Where did I call you a liar? You yourself said “Maybe it’s not like that anymore but it was 30 years ago”. I was confirming that no, it’s not like that now. I think you’re being very defensive, but please don’t look for insult in my comments, because there was none intended.

      • Lyla says:

        My dad, uncle, and aunt who are definitely older than Meghan attended Catholic school despite not being Catholic and have never been baptized.

      • nic919 says:

        It depends on the district. In Ontario there is a separate school board (aka catholic) and to attend catholic elementary school, you normally have to produce a baptismal certificate. Sometimes exceptions are made in areas were there are fewer schools, especially if the child is baptised as a Christian. I attended school with a few anglicans and they just skipped the prep courses during the years there were sacraments. Attending high school is more permissive and there will be far more non Catholics attending. Again it is up to the particular school board and school principal.
        30 years ago things would probably have been more strict. But there has never been any confirmation that Meghan was baptized in any religion, which is why I suspect she was baptized and confirmed instead of just being confirmed. Had she been baptized as a catholic, then she would have been received in the anglican church and only confirmed.

  8. Aang says:

    Receiving sacraments for reasons other than belief seems like the opposite of respect to me.

    • notasugarhere says:

      You don’t know what her beliefs are, now do you?

      I recommend watching Queen Margrethe’s Red Thread on YouTube, about Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. It is about how she worked, often struggled, to follow the faith dictated to her by her role in the world. It was part of her job so she reconciled herself to it, and how she dealt with it was very respectful IMO.

      • Maria says:

        Nota, Aang is making a general statement.
        She is entitled to her opinion too.

      • notasugarhere says:

        She stating her opinion, couched in a way that is judgmental of other people’s spiritual practices. Doesn’t change the fact that she knows nothing about anyone else’s personal beliefs.

    • Jayna says:

      Why makes you think she doesn’t believe in God?

    • guestt says:

      They’ve said she’s doing it out of respect for HM, not because she believes.

      • Maria says:

        Well if she was already baptized, then she shouldn’t have to be re-baptized, according to some of you she wouldn’t have had to. So maybe that aspect is done for the Queen. As for her private beliefs, she may have very strong ones, no one is saying she has no faith.

  9. magnoliarose says:

    I would never do it, but then I am not a Christian. If I weren’t Jewish, I would be agnostic or an atheist. Because it is an ethnic-religion, there is more to it than just religion, and it would feel like I lost something important to me.
    I would be more concerned about my family’s feelings, and it would devastate them so the wedding would never happen. There is no man in the world I would do it for because for me it would feel like a betrayal and a huge lie. I don’t believe in Christianity, and I would never be able to utter the words needed. I have attended Christian services before but with the Catholic side of my family because I wanted to see it for myself. No judgment about those who are and who are good people but it leaves me cold.

    • Clare says:

      @magnolia I said upthread that my husband ‘converted’ to please my parents – he is almost militantly atheist, and we both in hindsight regret the decision for him to convert. It was unfair for him to have to stand in front of my family (and his) and accept tenants that he was never ever going to conform to, or believe in. Disrespectful to him AND to people who truly believe and practice.

      In short, I 100% get what you’re saying. But – I find it hard to judge her for something like this – to each their own.

    • ElleC says:

      Personally, I suspect the type of families who demand people convert when they marry in or baptize their children are probably not regular churchgoers or believers themselves – it’s probably more about tradition/respect/culture/keeping up appearances. I have a hard time imagining the fervently faithful being cool with people making false convenants they have no intention of keeping.

      Not saying that’s true of everyone, it’s just my observation that people tend to get hung up on protocol/religiosity when that’s the beginning and end of their own faith/sprituality.

      • VirgiliaCoriolanus says:

        IMO, if she is converting without faith, then I am assuming it’s keeping with a tradition of the royals. I think that sort of thing is interesting–the culture of it.

      • LAK says:

        VG: I think most of this thread doesn’t understand that we are a secular country and the church is more a cultural thing than an article of faith.

        It’s different in other countries especially America and Muslim countries.

      • notasugarhere says:

        LAK one of my favorite irreverent takes on CoE is from Eddie Izzard’s Dressed to Kill. That and Vicar of Dibley with Dawn French and the late Emma Chambers.

        Some people got up in arms when a divorcee (and possible atheist) married the heir to the Spanish throne. Less than 30 percent of Spain describes themselves as practicing Catholics; it is more cultural as you write not necessarily faith.

        Charles is one of the most overt spiritual and religious seekers in a royal family, but no pitchforks out for him and his beliefs.

      • magnoliarose says:

        @LAK
        I do know that. It is one of the things I like about the UK most. They keep it in perspective. The Evangelicals have ruined this country and hold it back from moving forward. They scream about Muslims, and yet they want to use my tribe for their second coming nonsense.
        It is absurd.

      • Lorelai says:

        @Magnolia: I couldn’t agree more with your comment re: the evangelicals ruining our country. I also wish we were more like the UK in that regard (and in many others as well! :)).

    • magnoliarose says:

      @Clare
      I have a converted parent, and it was done for the same reasons your husband did in the beginning. That parent wasn’t religious and disliked Catholicism. But as they studied and learned they came to take to heart even learning Hebrew. It just worked for them.
      I think people do it for their own reasons and it is up to them to decide if it is worth it. Meghan is already Protestant, so it isn’t a big deal at all. There isn’t a big leap of faith, pun intended for her to switch. I don’t find it controversial.

      @ElleC
      You are right about it being something else besides the religion for families. For mine-culture and tradition is very important but so is believing. I also think it is deeper because we don’t have much contact with the Catholics on the other side. So we were immersed in Jewish culture as an influence. That doesn’t mean we are very religious. We aren’t Orthodox or Conservatives.

      Most of the men I dated in the past were either from a different background or atheists. The most serious one was nothing and wouldn’t have minded marrying me and having Jewish children but wouldn’t have converted and that would have been fine with me. It just happened that I married a Jewish man, so it didn’t matter.

    • Enough Already says:

      Our situation was slightly opposite. He was definitely raised in a non-practicing, nonbelieving household and never attended church services growing up. He wasn’t agnostic or atheist he just didn’t pay religion much attention at all. I am a Christian however and when we met we used to have these long, rambling conversations about faith and religion and he began to explore his own feelings about it. He says that he felt comfortable talking about religion and Christianity with me and that our conversations stayed on his mind long after our wine glasses were empty. He made the decision to embrace Christianity and it has been a journey that we have taken together through the years. It brings us great comfort and has sparked some awesome intellectual conversations as well. His family however continues to scratch their heads over it lol. They are quite convinced that this tea sipping southern belle has bewitched the good doctor lol. No such silliness. The only thing I’ll cop two is adding a few buttery inches to his waistline 🙂

      • magnoliarose says:

        Very sweet. You are from Louisiana right? If I recall.
        If it works for you, then I am supportive. My Mamere is religious, but she walks the walk. She is sweetness personified and doesn’t have a hateful bone in her body nor does she judge and she isn’t racist. She’s rather progressive in her views because it comes from a place of all people deserve love.
        My husband and I took her to Italy to see the Vatican and cathedrals, and she was beyond happy. It meant something profound for her. It got her through years of desperate poverty and being married to a bully. I don’t mind going with her because it makes her happy and it would be silly not to enjoy it with her. She had never traveled much before, and it was adorable how much she loved it.
        Her faith means something to her, so I respect it.

      • Enough Already says:

        NC 🙂
        I love the story of your grandmere’s Vatican trip. It had always been my wish to take my mother on a similar trip to the Holy Land. Interestingly enough my mom’s strong, quiet faith was another draw for my husband. I’m not from a family of bible thumpers. We were always taught that if people are never drawn to our light, if you will, without a clue as to our calling, then we’re doing something wrong. Charity, friendship, laughter, conviction, tolerance, protectiveness, social justice, compassion…it’s not rocket science but I freely admit many of us believers seem to have a problem with the fine print lol. I had a coffee mug years ago that said “Dear Jesus. Save me from your followers”
        🙂

      • magnoliarose says:

        North Carolina is an interesting state. It is a great example of the changing south. One of my stepchildren wants to go to Duke. It is on their list, so we visited the school and spent time in Ashville.
        I have relatives in Charleston SC.

        Mamere was in pure bliss to have her dream come true. She had gone to Israel, so the Vatican trip made her complete.
        As far as religion or anything really positive people attract interest and tolerance. Unfortunately, the negative people beat their drums the loudest.

    • Olenna says:

      I’m no expert but I think COE practices fall somewhere between Protestant and Catholic, so I kinda look at this baptism as her acceptance of the rules and practices of the church, which TQ is the head of, as opposed to a traditional conversion requiring a significant change of faith.

  10. ZigZags says:

    1. You don’t need to be Catholic to attend a Catholic school, particularly a Catholic high school in Los Angeles. Source: personal experience

    2. You don’t need to convert to Judaism to marry someone Jewish if you marry on an island and don’t have plans to raise the children Jewish. Source: personal experience

    3. Most people who are baptized into their faith/receive sacraments didn’t have much opinion about the matter as they were baptized/had a christening as babies.

    4. It’s none of our business why she did it or what her motivations are. It’s not like there aren’t people who “find Jesus” later in life. Although I’m not sure this is the motivation here. Still, none of my business. Not my church/faith/country.

    • LAK says:

      Amen.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Ditto.

    • Maria says:

      Ok. Infants who are baptized are the responsibility of their parents who have to promise they they will bring up their kids in the faith, nurture them, teach them etc. Which would put them in a slightly hypocritical position if indeed they have no intention of keeping their promises. They may, on the other hand be very sincere but then find themselves incapable of following through. My belief is that Meghan was likely to have been baptized at some point in her childhood. I don’t feel that it’s necessary to do it again but I respect her for taking that step as an adult and taking responsibility for her choices. It must have meant a lot to the Queen who is a serious Christian.

      • notasugarhere says:

        That may be your belief and opinion about parental responsibility and religion Maria, but it isn’t everyone’s.

        Who are you to say that they won’t raise their children in the Anglican faith as believers? Harry is one of the few in this generation of the BRF who is said to attend church regularly, especially when he was in the Army.

        Mette-Marit of Norway was never traditionally religious. She was a spiritual seeker (much like Prince Charles is), delving a lot in to Hinduism and Buddhism. She is also now dedicated to the Church of Norway and recently released a collection of her favorite hymns.

        People and their beliefs change over time.

      • Maria says:

        Nota, see reply up thread.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Again, depending upon your house of worship, parents aren’t making those types of promises. Babies are not responsible for being baptized, parents are not responsible for their children’s immortal souls (if we have them).

      • Enough Already says:

        Maria said no such thing. She expressed opinions about a few possibilities.

      • LAK says:

        Seriously Maria, the church in England is not that serious. We are mostly a secular country and practise out of a cultural habit than a show of faith.

        Baptizing kids without following through on the religious oaths is not a big deal. Plenty of people do it. Most people will swear they are Christians even though the only evidence of it is their attendance to church weddings and funerals. They’ll even wear cross jewellery.

        Look at the Middletons. Children baptised as infants. Kate confirmed only days before her wedding and she still doesn’t attend church regularly unless it’s a wedding, funeral, baptism of her own or her friends’ kids or royal duty related.

        I expect MM will follow a similar trajectory, but it’s a masterstroke of good PR to claim that she did it to respect the Queen. The church in England is more a cultural thing than an article of faith. We expect the royals to be members of the church, but no one is expecting them to be deeply religious. The Queen happens to be deeply religious, but she would be one of very few monarchs and also in line with her generation to truly have faith as opposed to being in the church because it’s her culture.

      • notasugarhere says:

        LAK, it reminds me of the Middletons annual skiing holidays over Easter, and never showing up for Christmas services until after the engagement. And KM sporting a diamond cross pendant years before her confirmation, because they were considered stylish at the time.

        The BRF tends to shy away from anything that is actually about being religious. Yes, they attend all kinds of CoE services, but anything that deals with actual belief is rarely addressed in their work. Likely part of why MM had to quit WorldVision, because it came from an evangelical Canadian group.

        One of the few exceptions I can think of is Philip’s book, Survival or Extinction A Christian Attitude to the Environment

      • Maria says:

        @nota, I belong to a Presbyterian church. Have witnessed many baptisms. In this denomination, parents do have to make these promises. Not saying that they have to keep them. Or that they can. but they have to commit to doing this.
        My parents both staunch atheists had me baptized why I don’t know. Societal pressure I guess at the time.

      • notasugarhere says:

        And again Maria, your personal experience is not the experience of everyone else – particular when it comes to religion. From your story, your own parents chose to do something against their own beliefs because it was the cultural thing to do. Doesn’t read like they had any intention to follow any promises they made during that ceremony.

    • Olenna says:

      Thank you, ZigZags.

      • Maria says:

        @LAK. I agree with you that the Anglican and Presbyterian churches are not that serious and are losing members like crazy. Then, why bother with the infant baptism? Not talking about the royals because that situation is entirely different. There no longer seems to be societal pressure on doing it. Much of the time, the kid is dressed is white, you answer “yes, yes I promise” and then go off to a party. But it doesn’t mean that for some people it is a serious ceremony. It may be a cultural thing for a lot people, but for many it is still a religious institution.

      • LAK says:

        Maria: Infant baptism is a cultural expectation. I am not saying that it doesn’t still hold a strong religious meaning for some people, but as you’ve noticed, church membership is down despite this being a Christian nation with churches in most towns and villages. That’s simply the way it is. No one will judge if you happen to be deeply religious, but equally no one judges if you go through the motions because of cultural expectations.

        Similar reasons why people who’ve never stepped in church since their infant baptism will insist on a church wedding. The optics of a church backdrop to the nuptials are nice, but i doubt they think about the religious / spiritual significance of the oaths they are taking.

    • Berry says:

      Ivanka Trump converted to Orthodox Judaism to marry Kushner. While I tend to think the Kushners’ piety is more public than private, Ivanka Trump had to go through a long conversion and lifestyle change.

      I don’t think it’s fair to anyone to insist that he or she convert to another religion before getting married.

  11. Keepitreal says:

    Neither of her parents were in attendance; and yes, I know, she is not close to her father, etc. etc. etc.

    • Maria says:

      I can’t help but wonder if her father has health issues. And if he does, it’s a heck of a long way to travel if one isn’t well.

  12. minx says:

    Nice to see MM and KM together.

  13. EM says:

    I doubt she was baptised as a child, the Anglican Church would very likely recognize a prior baptism into a different Christian denomination. As someone baptized as an adult in the Anglican Church, I can tell you that people have a lot of different motivations for seeking adult baptism and the priests were very open minded. Doing it because you are joining an Anglican family and plan to raise Anglican children and want to be a participate in that cultural tradition? They would welcome you whole heartedly.

  14. spidee!! says:

    Is there any point in converting unless you actually believe? Says this agnostic.

  15. ladida says:

    If indeed her father is Jewish, she is technically not Jewish. She sometimes gets a rap for converting to Judaism just because there are a few photos of her hora on a Jamaican beach. That also doesn’t mean she’s Jewish. Going to Catholic school doesn’t mean she’s Catholic. This may actually be her first baptism so it’s definitely unfair to criticize her for getting baptized, and quite frankly — unchristian. Obviously she had to be baptized to marry into the family that leads the Church of England!

  16. themummy says:

    Why does the headline for this story state that she WAS baptized when the whole story is about how she WILL be baptized? Accuracy matters….?

    • Peeking in says:

      You clearly didn’t read the entire story, because the last part is about her actually being baptised.

  17. xena says:

    For me it makes sense to get baptized if you are marrying into the family of the Head of said Church and you’ll end up front row with professionell representing duties all over the year in this church. Furthermore being Catholic is only for a few years not problematic for the line of the succession, it was for centuries highly problematic. I mean it was such a no go, that Sophie of Hannover who was installed by the Act of Settlement, was originally on a place in the line of succession way above 100 🙂

  18. raincoaster says:

    CLARIFICATION: She doesn’t have to be Anglican to marry him, but she DOES have to be Anglican for him not to have to give up his place in line for the throne. So, that’s why this happened, not because of respect for the Queen.

    • Boudica says:

      Actually that’s not correct now. Even if Meghan was a practising Catholic when she married Harry, Harry would not lose his place in the line of succession because of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 which removed the prohibition on the monarch being married to a Catholic. Those who had previously lost it because they married Catholics, such as Prince Michael of Kent, had their place reinstated because of that legislation.