Zara Tindall’s uncomfortable expression during Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding – and how she blamed it on being pregnant

As they filed into St George’s Chapel the wedding guests likely expected a similar format to William and Kate’s wedding.

But imagine their surprise when they were met with a gospel choir and American bishop who delivered a passionate sermon.

As the couple mark their copper wedding anniversary, Harry and Meghan’s big day couldn’t have been more different than royal weddings of the past.

Guests even suggested it was the most diverse major event in the Queen’s then 66-year reign.

Despite being an Anglican church service it had a distinctly American feel with a US bishop delivering a passionate address that appeared to make some royals snigger and a gospel choir filling the chapel with music from Ben E. King and Etta James.

But there was also much of the great British pageantry set in the fairy tale surroundings of Windsor Castle on a stunning May spring day.

At the time MailOnline reported that Meghan Markle had launched her own ‘mini-revolution’ as she married Harry in a multi-cultural and US-influenced wedding the likes of which Britain’s royals and the millions watching had never seen before.

Robert Lacey, author of Battle Of Brothers, wrote that Reverend Bishop Michael Curry was one of two ‘heroes’ of the day – the other being Charles who stepped in to walk Meghan down to the altar.

Lacey added: ‘Most comment was reserved for the unconcealed jaw drop of Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall, captured by all the cameras and looking as if she was in pain.’

But Zara – who was more than eight months pregnant with baby Lena – was quick to clarify the reason for her expression.

Zara told the Telegraph: ‘My bum sort of slid over either side and Lena kicked the hell out of me for an hour.

At one point Mike Tindall could be seen caressing his wife’s bump – suggesting their unborn baby was making their presence felt at the special occasion with a well-timed kick or two.

Five months later Zara made a cheeky remark by leaning across the pew and whispering to Harry at Eugenie’s wedding.

Lip readers believe she said: ‘It’s very quiet compared to the screaming at your wedding.’

Of Harry and Meghan’s wedding Lacey wrote: ‘Camilla’s shoulders were heaving – one understood why aristocratic ladies wore wide-brimmed hats to keep their facial expressions concealed.

‘Sitting beside Camilla, Kate Middleton gave her stepmother-in-law a ‘side eye’ in reproof. The newspapers and website commentators all caught it.’

Good Housekeeping wrote at the time: ‘We typically don’t see such serious and stern behaviour from Kate’.

Lacey wrote: ‘Sitting beside Camilla, Kate Middleton gave her stepmother-in-law a ‘side eye’ in reproof. The newspapers and website commentators all caught it’

Good Housekeeping wrote at the time: ‘We typically don’t see such serious and stern behaviour from Kate’

Charles, sat at the wedding with wife Camilla, was red faced and lowered his head

The sermon was a huge culture shock for the royals in attendance who are used to the Church of England’s ecclesiastical style of preaching. Prince William and Charles are seen at the wedding

Kate’s polite yet reproachful look was certainly a warning for Camilla – who wore a large hat hiding her face from the camera – to behave.

Meanwhile Charles was red faced and lowered his head.

Bishop Curry smiled, waved, theatrically gesticulated and asked direct questions to the congregation, speaking with so much passion that the candle next to him began to quake.

The sermon was a huge culture shock for the royals in attendance who are used to the Church of England’s ecclesiastical style of preaching.

Princess Beatrice, often captured at events for her amusing facial expressions, widened her eyes and looked off-camera with a closed-mouth smile.

The reaction from the family was so pronounced that NBC’s Saturday Night Live ran a skit that parodied the bishop – and called Bishop Curry the ‘unexpected star’ of the royal wedding.

This was a stark contrast to Bishop Richard Chartres who delivered a more self-reflective, reverent sermon at Will and Kate’s wedding on love and spiritual life.

Chartres was Bishop of London at the time and also delivered a sermon at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral.

Bishop Curry, head of America’s Episcopal Church was invited to the wedding to give a sermon on the ‘healing power of love’

On their special day Harry and Meghan held hands as they sat close to Bishop Curry and listened intently

At the time MailOnline reported that Meghan Markle had launched her own ‘mini-revolution’ as she married Harry in a multi-cultural and US-influenced wedding

The royal wedding was certainly a first for the royal family and changed the precedent for what can be expected from future occasions. Meghan waves as she arrives at the ceremony

The congregation were quiet and still, the way they were taught to behave in church as children.

On their special day Harry and Meghan held hands as they sat close to Bishop Curry and listened intently.

But the bishop appeared to realise he may have gone on speaking for too long, saying towards the end of the speech that he had better wrap up, as ‘we gotta get you all married!’

The speech – described by some as the ‘fire’ speech for the large number of references made to it by the preacher – sparked social media attention.

Former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said the bishop could ‘almost make me a believer’.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell wrote: ‘Glued to the royal wedding has me in tears!! This is so beautiful.’

Bishop Curry’s sermon was certainly a first for the royal family and changed the precedent for what can be expected from royal weddings.