LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has given her formal consent for her grandson Prince Harry to marry US actress Meghan Markle, according to a transcript of a meeting with her advisers released on Thursday.
“I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle,” the Queen said at a meeting of her Privy Council in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
She said her consent would be “signified under the Great Seal” and entered into the register of the Privy Council, an ancient body of councilors that dates back hundreds of years.
Prince Harry and Markle, who starred in the US television drama “Suits,” will marry on May 19 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, a royal residence located west of London.
British law states that the monarch must give their consent for the marriage of the six people next in line for the throne.
Harry is fifth in line after his father Prince Charles, brother Prince William and William’s children George and Charlotte.
He will be bumped down to sixth place when William’s wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, gives birth next month.
The Privy Council is a kind of royal advisory body and has around 400 members, including religious and political leaders.
Markle was baptized by the leader of the Church of England earlier this month ahead of her marriage to Harry out of respect for the Queen’s role as head of the denomination.
I do: Queen Elizabeth II gives formal consent to Prince Harry, Markle wedding
I do: Queen Elizabeth II gives formal consent to Prince Harry, Markle wedding
Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an
MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.
The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.
The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.
The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.
The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.
