Did Meghan Markle Have to Get Baptized to Marry in the Church of England?

Praise be, Meghan Markle’s officially been baptized and confirmed into the Church of England. In news first reported by the Daily Mail, Prince Harry’s future wife was baptized in a secret ceremony on March 6 in preparation for their May 19 nuptials. Present at the private ceremony were her husband-to-be, along with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Now that she is a *confirmed* member of the Church of England, Markle will be able to take communion alongside other members of the Royal fam.

We know pre-wedding workouts and facial regimes are de rigueur for brides-to-be, but we’re a little less clear on baptisms to prep for the big day. There’s been much speculation about Markle’s religion in the past—she attended a Catholic high school, but reportedly was not raised Catholic; her father is an Episcopalian and her mother is a Protestant. So was the baptism a must in order to wed in the Church of England or what?

While old-school royal rules about future royal spouses being members of the Church of England—which is part of the Anglican Communion—reportedly used to be stricter, it appears that’s no longer an absolute necessity. Most reports assert that Markle went through the ceremony, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Chapel Royal, out of respect for her future grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, who is the official head of the Church of England. Kensington Palace confirmed that Markle would be baptized into the church when she and Prince Harry first got engaged. Markle’s future sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, was also confirmed into the Church of England (she’d already been baptized) before marrying Harry’s big brother, Prince William.