As others struggle to find work, Archbishop looks to William and Kate for ‘a bit of hope’

John Sentamu, who will be a guest at the wedding, said he was looking forward to a “very glorious service which will have a lot of hope, a lot of fun”.

The second most senior cleric in the Church of England was speaking about the forthcoming wedding, the benefits of marriage and the role of marriage in society.

In his interviews, Dr Sentamu also spoke about how well suited he thought the couple were.

In a more detailed discussion on marriage, the Archbishop said that it was important to raise children in a home where they know that the father and mother had committed themselves to one another “till death us do part” because of the stability that brings.

With regards to marriage and society, Dr Sentamu commented that marriage was a commitment to the wellbeing of society and the wellbeing of community.

He said: “When people are married, society should rejoice; society should be around supporting that particular couple; and the families and the friends should also be standing behind supporting one another.”

He was asked if the royal wedding was what the country needed.

“Certainly some people are having it rough, in terms of employment; in terms of debt; in terms of housing and many other questions,” he said.

“But that’s not all there is about the United Kingdom. There is a lot of stuff that’s very, very good indeed so a wedding like this injects in a bit of hope.

“They seem to be very well suited to one another. So there is a sense in which you feel that this is not a marriage that has been arranged by somebody else but a couple that have decided that they are going to get married.

“When you see William working in South Africa and helping poor people; when you see him with the Army and the RAF, he is just like another bloke.

“So I want to suggest that that combination of a commoner and royalty in terms of their attitudes actually bodes well for the future.”

Dr Sentamu was also asked what qualities Prince William would bring as head of the Church of England.

He added: “If he grows into the role of his grandmother, the chances are that he would be a very great king but he has got to learn how the Queen has done an amazing job.

“Not only in this country, she is the head of the Commonwealth and she is still revered and loved greatly. Why? Because she puts God first, puts neighbour second, puts her duty third and puts herself last.”