This is why Meghan Markle is being baptised before the Royal wedding

And being confirmed too

Meghan Markle diet
(Image credit: Byron Kirk/REX/Shutterstock)

And being confirmed too

As well as the normal bridal prep ahead of her Royal wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle has two major things on her to-do list: being confirmed and baptised - but the reasoning behind it isn't what you'd think.

Although the former Suits actress was raised a Protestant, and went to Catholic school, she's not obliged to be confirmed and baptised as an Anglican in order to marry Prince Harry.

However, she chose to do it as a mark of respect for the Queen and her faith, as she is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a walkabout on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle, during their visit to Scotland. (Photo by John Linton/PA Images via Getty Images)

The private ceremony is said to take place at Kensington Palace later this month, conducted by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also marry the couple in May at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

Both her parents are expected to attend, with her father Thomas travelling from Mexico, and her mother Doria Ragland from California.

She's not the first Royal bride to do this, with Kate Middleton confirmed before her wedding to Prince William in April 2011.

Meghan also follows in the footsteps of Prince Harry, who was christened in St George’s chapel.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.