The Bishop From The Royal Wedding Thought The Invitation Was A Joke

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was all about the newly anointed Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but there were other people who provided some iconic moments, as well. Even though he stole the show for a minute, the priest at the royal wedding thought it was a joke when he was asked to deliver a sermon. He really couldn't believe he was invited and thought it was an April Fool's prank.

During the May 22 episode of the Today show, Bishop Michael Curry confessed, "Well, I didn't believe it." He recalled of getting the initial invite, "One of the members of our staff told me that the Archbishop of Canterbury — his office had called — and they told me, and I said, 'Get out of here.' It was an April Fool's kind of thing."

The bishop added, "I just didn’t believe it, but then when I realized I said, ‘Well, I guess I better call the Archbishop back.’ So I called him back and said, ‘I really don’t believe it’ and then I couldn’t say anything to anybody for almost two months."

And by "I couldn't say anything to anybody" he really meant that he couldn't and didn't say anything to anybody. On Good Morning America, he revealed that he didn't even let his own wife know about the big news until a month after he was initially asked.

Today show host Savannah Guthrie asked Curry, "Did you talk to Harry and Meghan afterwards? Did they say anything?" The bishop shared, "It was so quick. We were at the reception. There were a lot of people around. They were very gracious." Of course they were. Curry did a phenomenal job. They had every reason to be happy with the sermon.

Not only that, but the newlyweds knew exactly what they were getting when they asked Curry to preside over the service. During the May 22 episode of Good Morning America, Curry told host Robin Roberts, "I did provide a copy of the manuscript about a week before, I think it was." He added, "I only deviated slightly. You can’t get a preacher — you’re going to deviate a little bit.” Needless to say the outline and that slight deviation paid off since he became an instant sensation thanks to his sermon.

At this point Curry has become so beloved that it's tough to remember a time before everyone knew who he was, but his role at the royal wedding wasn't actually announced until May 12. The Kensington Palace Twitter account posted, "Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have asked that The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, give the address at their wedding."

He may have been a surprising choice considering he is American and Episcopalian, but Curry had plenty of experience before he Duke and Duchess of Sussex's big day. According to an article Town & Country, he is the first African-American bishop of the Episcopal Church. He has been the presiding bishop of the entire Episcopal Church since 2015. The Chicago, Illinois native graduated from Hobart College and the Yale Divinity School before he was elected to be the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

Aside from his experience within the church, Curry is known for his social justice work, making him a great choice to be at the wedding for a very philanthropic and socially aware couple. On the Episcopal Church's official website, it is noted that "Throughout his ministry, Presiding Bishop Curry has been active in issues of social justice, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality."

Curry really was the perfect choice for The Duke and Duchess' big day. He has extensive experience as a bishop and a philanthropist that lines up with the couple's beliefs. He brought high energy and poignant words to the sermon that was seen around the world. He might have thought it was a joke when he was asked to be at the wedding, but Bishop Michael Curry cemented his place in history as a very endearing and profound presence.