The wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry - now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - was a refreshingly diverse affair for Windsor Castle, and the inclusive nature of the ceremony included an Egyptian Archbishop - Anba Angaelos - acting as one of the religious officials who oversaw the ceremony at St George's Chapel.
The move honoured Coptic Christians as he represents the ancient church of Egypt: the Coptic Orthodox Church. Archbishop Angaelos became the first Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London last year, after serving as the church's General Bishop since 1999. The Coptic Orthodox Church has around 18 to 22 million members worldwide (with about 15 million of those based in Egypt).
He was born in Egypt, and moved to Australia as a young child - he then returned to Egypt in 1990 where he was later consecrated as a monk.
You can see his part of the wedding ceremony from the 45 minute mark here:
He was conferred the honour of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2015 for his services to international religious freedom: he has often visited refugee camps in Greece, Lebanon and Jordan, and is outspoken about assisting those in need, no matter their religion.
He is a patron of Embrace the Middle East.
Wishing all our sisters and brothers, their families and your communities commencing the month of #Ramadan tomorrow a blessed time of prayer, fasting and enrichment, and praying peace on #Muslim communities in the #MiddleEast and around the world.#RamadanKareem #رمضان_كريم
— Archbishop Angaelos (@BishopAngaelos) May 16, 2018
While he was seen at the royal wedding on May 19, he was in Cairo the day before, according to this tweet:
Zipping through #Cairo streets! Who says there’s a traffic problem in #Egypt? Then again...it IS Friday (public holiday) in Ramadan at 7am... The one consistent and unchanging factor though, beautifully sunny weather. pic.twitter.com/OOhsH7lVcL
— Archbishop Angaelos (@BishopAngaelos) May 18, 2018
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Read more:
Meghan Markle's smiling page boy is a meme in the making
Dubai's royal revellers mark the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on board QE2
Dressing the royal bride: Givenchy reveals the inspiration behind Meghan Markle's dress
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Here's a scene from the church yesterday: