May 19, 2018

Watch this Gospel Choir Sing “Stand By Me” at the Royal Wedding

It followed Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon meditating on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rick Findler/AP

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1O4kia_Iog

The Kingdom Choir

Amid the pomp and finery of Saturday’s royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, one moment stood out: The Kingdom Choir’s breathtaking performance of the song “Stand By Me.”

Led by singer and director Karen Gibson, the interdenominational choir from South East England performed the 1961 blues ballad in front of 600 guests. As TIME magazine points out, the song is symbolic not just as a love song, but also for its politics, as it rose to popularity during the civil rights movement.

Just before the gospel choir’s rendition, Bishop Michael Curry, the head of the American Episcopal Church, delivered a sermon on the power of love that meditated on slavery, the words of Martin Luther King, and a Southern spiritual. 

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