THE eccentric US bishop who stole the show at the royal wedding thought it was an “April Fool’s” joke when he was asked to give the sermon.

Michael Curry, who wowed guests and viewers alike with his impassioned address, said he was staggered when asked by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to perform at St George’s Chapel.

Bishop Curry told TV show Good Morning Britain: “I thought someone was doing an April Fool’s joke on me. Not in my wildest imagination [did he expect to be asked].

“I have to admit I had no idea, I really didn’t. When I said the sermon I remember thinking to myself – ‘I hope that’s OK’.

Bishop Curry’s sermon, to 600 people in the historic church in the grounds of Windsor Castle, lasted around 13 minutes and quoted Martin Luther King.

During the speech guests, including David Beckham, were spotted beaming - while members of the royal family looked a mixture of bemusement and shock.

Prince William was caught sheepishly smirking in front of the Queen and Prince Philip at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

While Harry and Meghan shared smiles as they held hands.

Forty thousand people a minute tweeted about his rousing address, with the sermon the most talked about subject online during the whole royal wedding.

The 65-year-old preacher is an outspoken advocate of LGBT issues and has campaigned over social injustice and racial inequality.

He told GMB that he was firmly behind the new Duchess of Sussex who had previously said she is “proud to be a feminist and a woman”

Bishop Curry said: “They’re [Harry and Meghan] going to work to make this world better and empowering women is one of the ways we do that.”

During his speech the frocked preacher said the word “love” an astonishing 65 times (plus “beloved” twice).

It caused the wedding service to overrun by eight minutes.

He mentioned “fire” 20 times — more than the number of times he referred to God.

Quoting Luther King, Curry said: “We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love.

“And when we do that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world. Love is the only way.”

The bishop then added: “There’s power in love. Don’t underestimate it. Don’t even over-sentimentalise. There is power, power in love.”

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who married Harry and Meghan, said of the sermon: “I think what we saw in that is that preaching is not a past art, the use of language to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ just blew the place open, it was fantastic.”

He also said members of the royal family were “excited and gripped” by Bishop Curry’s sermon.

Although pictures showed the Queen looking stony-faced throughout the speech.