Royal Wedding: Tv Coverage Start Time

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday 19 May 2018. The ceremony began at noon UK time, but TV coverage started much earlier in the day. Most channels began their live coverage up to two hours before the ceremony, so viewers could watch the arrival of guests, the royal family, and the Queen. In the UK, BBC, Sky News and ITV covered the ceremony on their main channels, with coverage beginning at 9 am.

Coverage began at 4 a.m. ET on CBS and 4:30 a.m. ET on NBC

Coverage of Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle began in the early hours of the morning on both CBS and NBC. CBS's coverage began at 4 a.m. ET, with Gayle King and Kevin Frazier anchoring the network's coverage. CBS's "comprehensive coverage" began on Friday, May 18, and continued as the network streamed festivities before and after the ceremony. NBC's "Today" show began coverage at 4:30 a.m. ET, with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb hosting from an exclusive location overlooking Windsor Castle. NBC's coverage also included Megyn Kelly, Kathy Lee Gifford, Al Roker, and Sheinelle Jones reporting from England.

CBS's coverage of the wedding began with Gayle King and Kevin Frazier anchoring the network's broadcast. King also anchored a prime-time special on Friday, April 20, called "Meghan Markle: American Princess," which took an in-depth look at the couple's relationship and the bride's background. NBC's coverage featured special live editions of "Today" hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who also presented an NBC prime-time special called "Inside the Royal Wedding: Harry and Meghan." Both networks provided extensive coverage of the wedding, with NBC taking its entire "Today" show team to Windsor and CBS offering comprehensive coverage before and after the ceremony.

The early morning start times for both networks ensured that viewers in the US could tune in to watch the arrival of guests and the royal family, as well as the wedding ceremony itself. The extensive coverage reflected the high level of interest in the royal wedding, with millions of viewers expected to tune in to watch the highly anticipated event.

The BBC's coverage was anchored by Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young, and Dermot O'Leary

The BBC's coverage of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was anchored by Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young, and Dermot O'Leary. The broadcast began at 9 am on BBC One, BBC News, and Sky One, with ITV's coverage starting slightly later at 9:25 am. The ceremony itself started at noon.

On the morning of the wedding, Young and O'Leary were based by the moat outside Windsor Castle, while newsreader Edwards was on the roof of the Guard Room within the walls of the castle. They were joined by Alex Jones, Ore Oduba, Tina Daheley, and Anita Rani, who were situated around Windsor to capture the excitement and reactions of the day.

The BBC put together a more diverse presenting team than the lineup for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011. Anita Rani, who was the only person from a BME background in the core team in 2011, was joined by Oduba and Daheley, who are also from minority backgrounds.

The BBC was the only TV company allowed to film the ceremony inside St George's Chapel, but it shared the footage with broadcasters around the world.

Edwards, Young, and O'Leary also appeared on a Friday night preview show, "The Royal Wedding: They're Getting Married In The Morning."

ITV's coverage was presented by Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham

ITV's coverage of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was presented by Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham. The pair had previously co-hosted ITV's coverage of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, as well as the broadcaster's coverage of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

On 19 May 2018, Schofield and Etchingham anchored ITV's coverage of the royal wedding live from a specially constructed studio on The Long Walk in Windsor. Their coverage began at 9.25 am and continued until 3 pm. They were joined by a range of guests, including friends of the royal family and those who knew Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

In addition to the live rolling coverage, ITV broadcast an extended late news bulletin and a special hour-long royal wedding highlights show on ITV3. ITV also provided comprehensive coverage on its website, itv.com/news.

Schofield expressed his delight at working with Etchingham again, stating: “So happy to be back with Julie, my Royal Wedding partner (we don’t get to work together very often!) and the brilliant team at ITV News. Put your hat on, we’re going to have a party!” Etchingham added: "I'm delighted to be working on the Royal Wedding - and teaming up again with Philip, just as we did in 2011 and for the Diamond Jubilee. It'll be a day of big celebrations not only in Windsor but around the country - and it'll be huge fun capturing the spirit of a great British occasion."

NBC's coverage was hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb

NBC's coverage of the royal wedding was hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, co-anchors of the Today show. The pair broadcast from a custom-built studio overlooking Windsor Castle, with the rest of their Today team nearby in Windsor and London. Guthrie and Kotb wore pastel, floral lace and basked in the British sunshine. They also shared photos of themselves practising the royal wave.

Guthrie and Kotb spoke about the electric atmosphere in Windsor ahead of the wedding. "It's a very joyous occasion," Guthrie said. "The backdrop is like from the movies," added Kotb. "It’s been picture-perfect blue skies, and the town is so cute and quaint."

The hosts also discussed why they thought Americans were so fascinated by the royal family. "I think it’s probably because there are so few things that are still a little bit mysterious to us, said Kotb. "A princess in a carriage marrying her prince and rolling down the street is a fairytale. And the fact that fairytales do still exist in some form, it’s kind of cool," she added.

Guthrie and Kotb also co-hosted an NBC primetime special, 'Inside the Royal Wedding: Harry and Meghan', which aired on 16 May. The special included "interviews with close friends of the couple, as well as prominent figures from the fashion, sports and entertainment industry".

CBS's coverage was anchored by Gayle King and Kevin Frazier

CBS's coverage of the royal wedding was anchored by Gayle King and Kevin Frazier, who co-hosted "CBS This Morning" and "Entertainment Tonight" respectively. The pair began their coverage at 4:00 a.m. ET on May 19, 2018, broadcasting live from London.

King and Frazier were joined by CBS Royal Contributor Tina Brown, who provided insight into the Royal Family and the events of the day. CBS News also presented a two-hour primetime special, "Royal Romance: The Marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle", at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on the same day. The special examined the impact of the thoroughly modern marriage on the monarchy.

In addition to their coverage of the wedding, King and Frazier also anchored a one-hour primetime special, "Meghan Markle: American Princess", on April 20, 2018, at 10:00 p.m. This special explored the relationship between Prince Harry and Markle, as well as presenting a brief biography of the bride featuring interviews with friends and former colleagues.

CBS's multiplatform coverage of the royal wedding included live streaming on CBSN and the CBS News app, as well as radio coverage by CBS News Radio.

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