Did Kate Middleton Have to Convert Religions to Marry Prince William?
So many things about Kate Middleton’s life had to change before she could marry Prince William. First and foremost, she had to come to terms with people being obsessed with her every move for the rest of her life. And as so many former royal girlfriends will tell you, that’s no small thing.
Royal family members are subject to a whole host of rules that most people don’t have to follow. They can’t speak of political opinions in public, they can’t say certain words, and they certainly can’t dress however they want. There’s even royal protocol for religion.
It’s all enough to make fans question: Did Kate Middleton have to convert her religion in order to marry Prince William? Read on to find out.
What was Kate Middleton’s religion during childhood?
Growing up as part of the Middleton family, Catherine wasn’t particularly religious but did have ties to the Anglican faith. Her parents Carole and Michael Middleton didn’t regularly attend church during her childhood except for formal occasions like weddings.
The Duchess of Cambridge was baptized by a Berkshire bishop in 1982 when she was still a baby. However, she never performed the next step of affirming her faith during her teenage years, which all just proved that religion wasn’t very important to her. That all changed in adulthood.
Kate Middleton chose to be confirmed before her wedding to Prince William
The Duchess of Cambridge’s faith journey is interesting to follow. Though she didn’t get confirmed as a teen, she did voluntarily make that choice directly ahead of her wedding to Prince William—a man who happens to be the future Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This move wasn’t required of her, but surely the Queen appreciated the sentiment.
The ceremony was performed by Rt. Rev, Richard Chartres, the same bishop of London who performed Prince William’s confirmation rites in 1997.
Why did Kate Middleton choose confirmation?
As the Guardian reported, there was no specific reason for Kate to get confirmed before her wedding except for her wanting to outwardly declare her faith in God. They pointed out that the new generation of royals seems less “outwardly religious” than their older relatives, which is pretty standard for society. Princess Margaret is seen as one of the most devout members of the royal family.
But now there’s no question what Kate Middleton believes. Her voluntary confirmation proves that she has grown and developed her faith in God over the years.
Are royals banned from marrying people from certain religions?
Since Kate Middleton was already technically Anglican, there was no need for her to change religions before marriage. But would she have had to convert to marry the future king if she had been a different religion?
The answer is no. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 changed the old rule banning British royal family members from marrying Catholics. However, a ruling monarch cannot themselves be Catholic since that stands in contrast to being head of the Protestant Church of England.
Therefore, if Prince William and Kate Middleton chose to raise Prince George Catholic, he would either need to renounce his faith to become king or abdicate the throne.
None of this really matters though since both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge share the same faith. That just makes everything easier for everyone!
