The Royal Wedding 2018 between actress Meghan Markle and royal Prince Harry will take place on Saturday, May 19, at St George’s Chapel in the Windsor Castle in Windsor, in the U.K.
If you’re in the same time zone as the projected $42 million affair, the ceremony will begin at 12 noon. If you’re an American, you will have to set your alarm clock early to catch the pre-event fun—but for those following this royal saga, it will be worth it.
Since the moment Harry almost got engaged to Markle, and then actually got engaged to Markle—while roasting a chicken at that—commoners and the media alike were hooked. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding sparked interest, too—Diana’s eldest son was getting married. But now, it's baby brother’s turn and Harry chose an American at that.
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There has been much drama surrounding Meghan during her and Harry’s engagement, even up to the very wedding week itself. Since her father, Thomas Markle, pulled out from walking her down the aisle after falling ill post the staged paparazzi photo scandal, Markle will now walk herself down the aisle—with Prince Charles on hand for the final stretch.
Though many details are up in the air, like Markle’s dress and where the two will honeymoon, there some things we do know—her niece and nephew Princess Charlotte and Prince George will be part of her bridal party, she will have an elderflower and lemon cake, and her half siblings Markle Jr. and Samantha Markle were definitely not invited.
Oh, and the wedding swag sold around the event will be pretty incredible.
Royal or backyard wedding, love is what it’s all about and Harry and Meghan seem to have plenty of that.
Here’s what to know to tune in to the big day:
When is the Royal Wedding?
The Royal Wedding is May 19, Saturday.
What time does the Royal wedding start?
The Royal Wedding starts at 12 noon in London. Because the U.K. is 5 hours ahead of the United States, the ceremony will begin at 7 a.m. ET or 4 a.m. PT for Americans.
Guests will begin to arrive at 9 a.m. London time or 4 a.m. ET. Royal family members will arrive around 11:20 a.m. London time/6:20 a.m ET.
The carriage procession will begin at 1:05 London time or 8:05 ET and last 25 minutes.
The evening reception will begin at 7 p.m. London time or 2 p.m. ET.
How to Watch the Royal Wedding
Unless you plan on standing nearby with onlookers at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, you can watch or live stream the event on TV or your phone or desktop.
BBC America will begin coverage at 4 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 19.
Sky News will broadcast the event beginning at 1 a.m. ET.
CNN will also provide live coverage of the event from the U.K. starting at 4 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 19, and will live stream the event on CNN.com/go from 5-9 a.m. ET.
Today will provide live coverage of the event starting at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, with the help of Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, in addition to a live stream on Today.com and NBC’s website.
ABC will live stream the event and cover the wedding from 5 to 10 a.m on “GMA.”
TLC will provide a live four-hour feed of the wedding starting at 5 a.m. ET.
HBO will also air a special, but a parody version of coverage with Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. The comedians will take on the role of anchors Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattington who took on this year’s Rose Bowl.
People, E! News, CBS, Telemundo, and The New York Times also plan to live stream the event in some capacity as well.
