Royal Wedding Vows Transcript (VIDEO)

The royal wedding vows of Prince William and Catherine Middleton followed a rigid script of words and rituals based on the traditional Anglican wedding ceremony prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer. The Archbishop of Canterbury, chief clergyman for the Church of England, officiated the solemn event. In the same manner as Princess Diana before here, Catherine left out the vow to "obey" her husband.

Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see video of the ceremony and read the entire transcript of Will and Kate's wedding vows below, as they were described in the Royal Wedding Official Programme.

Archbishop to Prince William: William Arthur Philip Louis, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of matrimony?

Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?

He answers: I will.

Archbishop to Catherine: Catherine Elizabeth, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?

She answers: I will.

The Archbishop continues: Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?

The Archbishop receives Catherine from her father's hand. Taking Catherine's right hand, Prince William says after the Archbishop: I, William Arthur Philip Louis, take thee, Catherine Elizabeth to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.

They loose hands. Catherine, taking Prince William by his right hand, says after the Archbishop: I, Catherine Elizabeth, take thee, William Arthur Philip Louis, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.

They loose hands. The Archbishop blesses the ring: Bless, O Lord, this ring, and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favour, and live together in love until their lives' end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prince William takes the ring and places it upon the fourth finger of Catherine's left hand. Prince William says after the Archbishop: With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honour; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The congregation remains standing as the couple kneels. The Archbishop says: Let us pray.

O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, giver of all spiritual grace, the author of everlasting life: send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this man and this woman, whom we bless in thy name; that, living faithfully together, they may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, whereof this ring given and received is a token and pledge; and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Archbishop joins their right hands together and says: Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.

The Archbishop addresses the congregation: Forasmuch as William and Catherine have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Archbishop blesses the couple: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.

WATCH THE VOWS:

You’re watching Getting Married on 'The Royal Wedding' 4/29/11 - TV Replay. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Comments

[Klarsonent]

11:20 PM on 05/02/2011

May God bless them in their marriage and their future together. A lovely couple and a beautiful ceremony.

[been2there]

01:04 AM on 05/01/2011

The words don't matter nearly as much as the desire to live up to them. I wish this young couple all the happiness in the world.

[hawkeye10]

11:45 PM on 04/30/2011

God Bless William and Catherine on their wedding day. I wish them the best, and I'm sure Princess Diana would have been so proud. Her son is handsome, and his bride is lovely. They make a very handsome couple.

[Gregor53]

08:49 AM on 05/01/2011

Agree with you completely.  Kate is a lovely girl, just as Diana and in many ways, it much more prepared for what awaits her.  Excellent addition to the Royal family.  I wish them and their country the very best.

[syllable]

03:50 PM on 04/30/2011

I watched on television this exquisite and significant ceremony. Catherine showed grace and maturity in leaving out the vow "to obey her husband." The music by Parry was magnificent, the clothing, the colors, the pomp and energy were breath-taking. I hope that one day in the near future, the nuns can step out of their humble gray clothing and celebrate in color and decoration the grand and dedicated spirits they are.

[FoxReincarnated]

08:50 PM on 04/29/2011

Oliver Cromwell, Idi Amin and Robespierre are examples of tyrants and christians that have almost been erased off the history books. Do not start a sentence with "and".

[french queen13]

07:03 PM on 04/30/2011

One, I think you're in the wrong thread. Two, what on earth sort of "history" books are you reading if you think those three (or Cromwell and Robespierre, seminal figures in history) have been almost erased? What absolute nonsense.

Incidentally Robespierre was a Deist. Calling him a Christian is really stretching it. Your obsessive hatred of that religion is showing again. It comes across as quite unbalanced, y'know. Unhealthy, almost.

[Indigo1941]

04:24 PM on 04/29/2011

Christian wording, perhaps, but it was English Druidry at its best.

[bocan]

06:32 AM on 04/30/2011

There was a lot of druidry on the day... The trees. The binding of hands. The decoration on the wedding cake. ;-)

[Nathaneal Green]

05:23 PM on 04/29/2011

It isn't tyranny for a girl to marry a boy. And, advocates of same sex marraige have been pining away demanding this very ceremony. If they don't want this marriage, then such complaints are mere grandstanding.

[Slacktoo]

07:50 PM on 04/29/2011

You do know what a tyrant is, right? Lrn2history and get back to us. And by the way, you look like a tool for not capitalizing "Christian".

[El Superbeasto]

11:25 PM on 04/29/2011

christians are not worthy of capitalization. nor are the rest. they fail to practice what they preach.

[Sue Bryant]

02:57 PM on 04/29/2011

How come most of the videos of the vows cut off before the Archbishop actually says, "I pronounce them to be man and wife together?"

[french queen13]

07:05 PM on 04/30/2011

Dodgy video editing, maybe? It didn't happen in the live broadcast.

[playflute2]

09:35 PM on 04/30/2011

The BBC America broadcast (from 9 to 11 last night) did not cut them off. It was a lovely and straightforward wedding, the music was delicious, she was gorgeous, he was handsome, and it was lovely to see something happy for a change. I wish them only the best in their life together.