Harry's Wedding: A Global Watch Party

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was watched by millions of people around the world. The ceremony, which took place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, was televised and live-streamed by various broadcasters. In the UK, the BBC won the ratings battle, with an average of 8.7 million viewers and a peak of 13.1 million. In the US, NBC drew the largest audience, with 6.4 million viewers, and a combined total of 29.2 million viewers across 15 networks. The wedding was also streamed live on social media platforms, with 6.9 million views on Facebook and Twitter.

Watch Harry and Meghan's wedding on TV

If you're referring to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, then there were several ways to watch the ceremony on TV.

In the US, the wedding was broadcast on major networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, and TLC. Coverage began as early as 4 a.m. ET, with networks like CBS, BBC America, and Reuters TV. Gayle King and Kevin Frazier hosted CBS's coverage, while Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb of the Today Show provided commentary from a vantage point overlooking Windsor Castle, starting at 4:30 a.m. ET.

Other networks that joined the broadcast at 5 a.m. ET included ABC, CNN, Fox & Friends Weekend, and E! The ceremony began at 7 a.m. ET, and CNN en Español simulcasted CNN's coverage starting at this time.

For those who missed the live broadcast, HLN and CNN re-aired the wedding at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET, respectively.

In the UK, the BBC emerged as the winner in the ratings battle, with an average of 8.7 million viewers and a peak of 13.1 million. ITV, Sky News, and Sky1 also provided coverage of the wedding.

Stream the wedding online

If you're in the US, you can watch the wedding on the CNN Facebook page, which is hosting a live stream of the event. CBSN, CBS's live-streaming site, will also be broadcasting coverage starting at 4 am ET. You don't need a cable subscription to watch.

The Today Show will have hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Megyn Kelly, and Kathie Lee Gifford positioned at "a special vantage point" overlooking Windsor Castle for coverage beginning at 4:30 am ET.

Good Morning America will start special coverage at 5 am ET with co-anchor Robin Roberts and World News Tonight's David Muir. The network will also stream the five-hour broadcast online on ABCNews.com, GoodMorningAmerica.com, their mobile apps, and social platforms.

A live four-hour feed will kick off at 5 am ET, followed by the premiere of TLC's Royal Wedding Revealed at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT.

The wedding will also stream live on BBC.com starting at 5 am ET on Saturday.

Reuters TV will start its coverage online at 4:30 am ET. You can watch on their website or via OS and Android apps, Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV.

If you want to watch the wedding commercial-free with surround sound, Fathom Events is partnering with BritBox and ITV to air the festivities at nearly 200 locations at 10 am local time.

Royal wedding viewing figures

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018 was watched by 29.19 million viewers, with almost 23.7 million households tuning in. The BBC's coverage, presented by Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards, and Dermot O'Leary, attracted a peak audience of 13.1 million viewers during the ceremony. ITV's programming attracted a peak audience of 3.6 million, while Sky News and the BBC News Channel had substantially smaller audiences.

In the US, 23 million viewers watched the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. In the UK, 26 million people tuned in to watch the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. However, Harry and Meghan's wedding pulled in around 18 million viewers across all UK channels.

The viewing figures for Harry and Meghan's wedding were lower than those of William and Kate's wedding in 2011, but the overall decline in TV audiences meant that the BBC's coverage was the most-watched British television programme of 2018. The global audience for Harry and Meghan's wedding was expected to be in the hundreds of millions.

The royal wedding was also a huge event on social media, with Twitter reporting 3.4 million tweets sent during the ceremony, including 40,000 tweets per minute during the passionate sermon delivered by US Bishop Michael Curry.

The wedding's cultural significance

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a significant cultural event for several reasons. Firstly, it marked the union of a British royal family member and an American actress with a mixed-race heritage, which sparked conversations about social change and the diversification of the royal family. Secondly, the wedding ceremony itself blended African-American and British traditions, including a gospel choir and a sermon by Bishop Michael Curry, which was described as a "radical breath of fresh air" and a "joyful challenge to order". Thirdly, the wedding was widely televised and streamed online, making it accessible to a global audience and allowing people worldwide to witness this blend of cultures and traditions.

The wedding also carried cultural significance due to its departure from certain royal traditions. For example, Prince Harry chose to wear a wedding ring, unlike his male royal counterparts, which was seen as a modern approach and a sign of his willingness to forge his own path. Additionally, the couple's choice of a lemon elderflower cake instead of the traditional fruitcake and Meghan's choice of a boat neckline wedding dress were speculated to influence the decisions of other British brides. The wedding also included modern elements such as social media, with the couple first connecting on Instagram and Meghan wearing a dress by an Italian label that trended after the engagement announcement.

The cultural significance of the wedding extended beyond the ceremony itself. The Royal Mint produced an official £5 coin commemorating the wedding, and Royal Mail issued a set of commemorative postage stamps featuring the couple's engagement photographs. The wedding was also expected to boost the British economy by up to £500 million, with additional revenue generated from tourism and merchandise sales. The event attracted widespread media coverage, with various television networks and online platforms providing live broadcasts and streaming services, ensuring that people worldwide could tune in and witness this historic union.

Overall, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a culturally significant event that blended traditions, challenged established orders, and inspired conversations about social change and diversity within the context of the British royal family. It was a public display of unity and love that resonated with people worldwide and left a lasting impact on the cultural landscape.

Where Harry and Meghan married

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding ceremony took place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, UK, on Saturday 19 May 2018. The chapel has been a place of prayer, pageantry and ritual since the 15th century and has been the site of numerous royal weddings, including those of Queen Victoria's children. It is also the final resting place of several monarchs, including King George VI, the Queen Mother Elizabeth, and King Edward VII.

The couple chose the venue because of its royal history, with a Kensington Palace spokesperson saying: "Prince Harry and Ms Markle are delighted that the beautiful grounds of Windsor Castle will be where they begin their lives together as a married couple."

The wedding reception was held at St George's Hall inside Windsor Castle, with a second reception at Frogmore House, a short drive away but still within the castle's Great Park.

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