Reading @ Royal wedding by Coptic Archbishop, why?

[DiamondEcho]

I was struck by the unorthodox clothes worn by 'Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos' whilst giving a reading at the Royal wedding. Wondering what the clothes represented I Googled to find out who he is. Well now I know, I'm wondering why he was there, not just as a guest but in what seems the very significant role of making a reading? Joking aside about 'Phil the Greek'; the Duke of Edinburgh, DAK the reason for this (IME) minority UK religion having such prominence?

[PinkDalek]

I think the answer is in your question but, randomly, here’s some further connections:

Meghan Markle's uncle's faith is not Prince Harry's only connection to the Orthodox Church. ...

Prince Phillip’s ... mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns in 1949, and lived the rest of her life as a nun. She attended the Coronation in 1953 in the garb of a Greek Orthdox nun.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z5FxXwJKj1

[JMN2]

I think I saw the chap and thought he was a muslim cleric, didn't think twice about it - assumed they needed the ceremony to at least look "balanced"...

[DiamondEcho]

I think the answer is in your question but, randomly, here’s some further connections:
Meghan Markle's uncle's faith is not Prince Harry's only connection to the Orthodox Church. ...
Prince Phillip’s ... mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns in 1949, and lived the rest of her life as a nun. She attended the Coronation in 1953 in the garb of a Greek Orthdox nun.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z5FxXwJKj1

Hmmm - thanks for the reply. Her uncle runs such a church, but it's alleged he is the only one who these days attends services [!?]. Doesn't seem nearly reason enough. And she was a protestant recently baptised into the CoE, so it's not from her. And re: Princess Alice, if her religion was that significant why don't I recall similar heavy Coptic Orthodox contributions at other more recent Royal weddings? It's no big deal/fuss, just his striking and material presence suggested some pretty clear-cut basis.

Also from the linked article:
'Prince Philip,his grandfather, was born on the Greece island of Corfu and was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church, though he was received into the Church of England in 1947.'

... having left a religion 71 years ago does not seem as basis for it's representation today.

[PinkDalek]

… Also from the linked article:
'Prince Philip,his grandfather, was born on the Greece island of Corfu and was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church, though he was received into the Church of England in 1947.'

... having left a religion 71 years ago does not seem as basis for it's representation today.

Yes but didn't he have to be received into the Church of England to marry the future Queen?

Here's another random article, this time about Prince Charles:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/may ... elenasmith

According to friends and associates of the prince, the future head of the Church of England has become enamoured of the Orthodox faith and to confirm what I said above Prince Philip, his Corfu-born father who like Charles is an honorary member of the Friends of Mount Athos, had to switch to Anglicanism from Greek Orthodoxy to marry the Queen.

From elsewhere King Constantine of Greece was a confidant of the Queen (and relation of the Duke of Edinburgh) and Prince William is a Godfather to one of his sons.

I think there's enough in all that to explain why the Coptic Archbishop gave a reading.

[Yoquelet]

Coptic Orthodox, an Oriental Orthodox Church, and Greek Orthodox, an Eastern Orthodox Church, are not in communion. Eastern Orthodox are to Oriental Orthodox as Roman Catholics are to Greek Orthodox. Oriental vs Eastern Orthodox represents an earlier schism.

If Greek/Eastern Orthodoxy was to be represented, the Coptic archbishop was a major fail. The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster would have more in common with Greek/Eastern Orthodoxy...

I saw it suggested that the Coptic archbishop spoke as a representative of the original unified "one, holy, catholic and apostolic" Church in *Africa*, through the papal see in Alexandria...

[DiamondEcho]

I saw it suggested that the Coptic archbishop spoke as a representative of the original unified "one, holy, catholic and apostolic" Church in *Africa*, through the papal see in Alexandria...

Interesting Yoquelet, that's the first hint of the basis I've yet to see. It seems he was born in Egypt, raised in Australia. Worked for his church in the UK since 1995 latterly taking up his present role in Nov-17. http://www.bishopangaelos.org/about-Bishop-Angaelos
... so what might have been a perhaps tenuous connection with Greece now appears at best improbable after the Coptic schism you describe.

It's striking how little mention there is of his role yesterday out there on the internet. I googled again this morning, and my OP/question^ was in the first page of hits.