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A Royal Engagement

The engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle

by Claire Law

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To consider the concept of commitment and provide an opportunity to reflect on our own commitments.

Preparation and materials

  • You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (A Royal Engagement) and the means to display them.

  • Have available the video ‘Harry and Meghan: How the prince proposed’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.27 minutes long and is available at: https://tinyurl.com/yajry3kn

Assembly

  1. Explain that you are going to show the students a series of phrases and you would like them to complete the missing words.

    Show Slides 1-6.

    - Fish and . . . chips!
    - Knife and . . . fork!
    - Hide and . . . seek!

  2. Show Slides 7-8.

    - Prince Harry and . . . Meghan Markle!

  3. Explain that there are lots of things that go together in life, like a horse and cart, salt and vinegar or gin and tonic.

    Now, with the recent announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged to be married, the names ‘Harry and Meghan’ are linked together. There has been a lot of media coverage about the engagement and the couple’s relationship. Let’s take a moment to watch part of a BBC News interview with the couple.

  4. Show the video ‘Harry and Meghan: How the prince proposed’, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yajry3kn

  5. The couple are expected to marry in May 2018, so let’s find out a bit more about them.

  6. Show Slide 9.

    Prince Harry is the second son of the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. He is 33 years old and is fifth in line to the throne. When Harry was eight, his parents agreed to separate, and subsequently divorced. When Harry was 12 years old, his mum sadly died in a car crash. In recent years, Prince Harry has spoken publicly about how hard it was for him struggling with this tremendous loss.

  7. In time, Prince Harry joined the military and was involved in active service in Afghanistan. After ten years of serving with the armed forces, Harry ended his official military duties in 2015, although he has continued volunteering with a charity to assist wounded servicemen and women. Harry has also been active in a range of other charitable causes, including co-founding and supporting an AIDS charity in Lesotho, supporting conservation work in Botswana and creating the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

  8. Prince Harry began dating Meghan Markle in July 2016, after being introduced to her by a mutual friend. On 27 November 2017, it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had secretly become engaged earlier in the month.

  9. Show Slide 10.

    Meghan Markle is a 36-year-old actress who has starred as Rachel on US legal drama Suits for seven seasons. She was born in Los Angeles to an African-American mother and a white father, and has spoken publicly about the discrimination and racism that she has faced due to her ancestry. In fact, when her relationship with Prince Harry became public, Meghan was subjected to what the Palace condemned as a ‘wave of abuse’ in newspapers and online.

    Meghan has been involved in charity work for several years, most recently as a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, which has taken her to Rwanda. She has also written an article about her ethnic identity and feminism for Elle magazine and has several passions, including yoga, calligraphy and cooking.

  10. Now that Harry and Meghan are engaged, we are likely to be hearing a lot about them and their marriage preparations over the coming months. Their wedding will be an opportunity to show each other, their friends and family and the watching media that they are committing to love and support each other in their married life.

Time for reflection

Let’s take a moment to think about the things that we are committed to, whether they are private commitments or public ones. Are there things that we have committed to be faithful and devoted to?

Show Slide 11.

Perhaps we are committed to our families: to loving them, being there for them, giving and receiving with them and supporting them in the tough times, such as separation, loss or when someone in the family is hurting. This is a special and precious commitment.

Pause to allow time for thought.

Show Slide 12.

Perhaps we are committed to a friendship group, or to a particular friend: to supporting them in good times and bad, sharing fun and laughs, being loyal and listening to their problems. This is a special and precious commitment.

Pause to allow time for thought.

Show Slide 13.

Perhaps you are committed to supporting a particular charity: to raising awareness of their cause, fundraising for them or even volunteering your time. This is a special and precious commitment.

Pause to allow time for thought.

So, as we think about the commitment that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made in deciding to share their lives together in a married relationship, lets take a moment to be grateful for the opportunities that we have to commit ourselves to a cause or relationship. Lettake a moment to consider the ways we receive from these commitments – the ways in which we are blessed and helped by them. Lets also think about the ways in which we can enrich the lives of those who have relationships with us.

Prayer
Dear God,
We pray for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they plan this next, exciting phase of their lives.
We pray that they may be a mutual support for one another.
We pray that they will not suffer undue pressure from media interest in their relationship.
We pray that their friends and family will be a helpful support to them as they prepare to celebrate their wedding.
We pray also for the commitments that we have in our own lives,
The relationships and the causes to which we are committed.
We pray for wisdom and strength to make the best of these commitments – both giving and receiving in a way that is life-giving.
Amen.

Publication date: December 2017   (Vol.19 No.12)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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