LONDON: St George’s Chapel, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married on Saturday, is a royal church steeped in centuries of British history. The final resting place of kings and queens and the epicentre of English chivalry, the Windsor Castle chapel has witnessed multiple royal weddings and state occasions.

Inspired by King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter, the most prestigious order of chivalry, in 1348. He made Windsor’s chapel its mother church and rededicated it to St George, England’s patron saint.

In an annual ceremony which still continues, knights walk to the chapel in a grand procession, dressed in their garter robes: heavy blue velvet capes and black velvet hats with elaborate white ostrich plumes.

The order is limited to 24 living companions, whose banners hang in the chapel. Each knight has a brass plate depicting their coat of arms on their seat.

Current members include 1990s prime minister John Major, former Bank of England governor Mervyn King, and ex-MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller. Foreign knights include the kings of Spain, Norway and Sweden, and Japan’s Emperor Akihito. Harry’s brother and best man Prince William is the 1,000th knight.

The chapel was radically rebuilt between 1475 and 1528 into the grand feat of Gothic architecture seen today. Its fan-vaulted ceiling, intricately-carved stonework, carved oak stalls and stained glass windows make it one of the finest examples of its kind in England. King Edward III’s sword, six feet and eight inches long, hangs in one of the aisles.

The chapel has a door from the original building which has been standing since the mid-13th century. It is only used by the royal family when attending services.

Harry, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson, was baptised in the chapel in December 1984 with the names Henry Charles Albert David.

Kings Edward IV, Henry VI and Edward VII are buried to the sides of the altar. The tombs of Henry VIII and the executed Charles I are also in the chapel choir.

King George V lies near the west door, while his son and Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, has his own memorial chapel. His wife, also called Queen Elizabeth, and the ashes of their daughter princess Margaret, were buried next to him in 2002 — the last royals laid to rest in the chapel. Besides burials and funerals, the chapel also has a more joyous history of royal weddings, which peaked in Queen Victoria’s reign.

The trend has been revived in recent decades. Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones in the chapel in 1999.

St George’s is set to host another royal wedding later this year, that of Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s second son Prince Andrew, on Oct 12.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2018