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SATURDAY'S royal wedding went without a hitch, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Peter Nott, said this week.
The Bishop, who married Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, said that a great deal of preparation had gone into the service, and that it was a "lovely family wedding", despite the presence of the TV cameras. "There was no sense of people watching all round the world" he said on Tuesday.
On the steps: the bride is met by the officiant,
Bishop Peter Nott. PA photo
Bishop Nott has come to know the couple well. "Before any wedding, I always have a number of sessions with the couple, and this was no different," he said. "They were keen to go through this, and to look at the words of the service and their meaning in some depth. I think that came across in the service - their great sincerity."
Edward and Sophie chose the 1928 marriage service, and decided against a sermon. "We talked about it, and agreed not. I feel strongly that the words of the service are so beautiful and profound they do not need interpreting. The words speak for themselves," Bishop Nott said.
Much was made in the media of the Bishop and the young attendants' fooling around after the service with their bouquets. "We spent a bit of time together in rehearsal the day before, and got to know each other; so yes, we were larking about. I am a grandfather of eight grandchildren."
But Bishop Nott confesses to some nervousness before the event. "I am always nervous before any service, even if I'm preaching in a tiny village church - it's like the adrenalin at the beginning of a football match. But when you take any wedding, your job is to ensure that all the focus is on the couple, and to help them focus on their vows, and if you are nervous, never to show it."
Had he enjoyed it? "I did enjoy it. I loved it."
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The bishop's account
IT WAS indeed a day to remember. From dawn on the day of the wedding, Windsor Castle bustled with activity, as final touches were put to the flowers in St George's Chapel and television crews adjusted their cameras. Springer spaniels, noses twitching busily and tails wagging their whole bodies, rushed hither and thither with security men and women. Crowds gathered in the streets outside the castle, the lucky ones waiting to enter the castle grounds.
As the hours went by, more and more people appeared in formal clothes, ushers in morning dress, virgers in their distinctive purple robes, choirboys combing hair, clergy robing, my friend and former Norfolk colleague, the Dean of Windsor, and I being wired up with hidden microphones, and checking for the umpteenth time that each knew precisely what we were to do, and where and when.
The guests began arriving and were ushered to their places. Prince Edward, composed and supported by his brothers, walked slowly up the aisle to wait for his bride. A little while after the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh took their places, I walked down the steps to meet the bridesmaids and pages.
We'd met the day before and rehearsed together. One knew about bishops because she was learning to play chess ("they can only move sideways"). The others may always think of bishops as a measurement of length. When trying to stress the distance they should walk behind the bride to avoid stepping on their train, I lay down on the floor and told them: "A bishop's body-length is about right."
There was a buzz in the crowds, and Sophie arrived at the foot of the steps, looking breathtakingly beautiful. She was secure on the arm of her father, who next week will celebrate 38 years of marriage to Sophie's mother. As the fanfare began, we walked slowly up the steps, both bishop and bride lifting their skirts to avoid the nightmare of tripping.
St George's Chapel is beautiful and grand, but it is on a human scale - the feel of a large parish church more than a cathedral. It was easy to focus on what this day was all about. A young couple were to commit themselves to each other for life, to offer their love to God, and seek his blessing. We had spent long hours together in preparation for this day meditating on the meaning of the words. As they knelt in prayer together near the end of the service, the choir sang the beautiful anthem "Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est" - "Where there is love and charity, there is God."
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