Meghan Markle Is Breaking Tradition with Her Royal Wedding Vows
Like her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, and her future sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, Meghan is breaking tradition with her wedding vows. She's decided to follow in their footsteps and omit the promise to "obey," the palace confirms.
During the ceremony, which will be officiated by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, she'll tell Prince Harry: “I Meghan, take you, Harry, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to God’s holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow.”
Since Markle is a proud feminist, her choice in vows doesn't come as too much of a surprise. During the UN Women Conference in New York in 2015, Markle advocated for gender equality in marriage. "A wife is equal to her husband, a sister to her brother. Not better, not worse—they are equal."
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Diana's decision to remove "obey" from her vows to Prince Charles was very controversial at the time. Her sisters-in-law, Sarah Ferguson and Sophie Rhys-Jones, who married Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively, included the vow of obedience.
It wasn't until 2011, when Kate Middleton married Prince William that another woman marrying into the royal family decided to break with tradition. Kate promised to “love, comfort, honor and keep” William.
