The big day is almost here! The highly anticipated wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is taking place on Saturday, May 19th, at 12 noon London time, meaning that Americans who want to watch the action live will have to set their alarm clocks.
CBS, ABC, BBC America, TLC, HBO, Hallmark and E! are all offering live streams and commentary starting in the early hours. In the U.S., the wedding will kick off at 1 a.m. in Hawaii, 4 a.m. on the west coast and 7 a.m. on the east coast, but coverage will begin two-three hours earlier, depending on the outlet.
The couple will marry at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
BEHIND THE SCENES
- While the day itself will likely be picture perfect (fingers crossed!), the lead-up has been anything but.
- In recent days, it was revealed that Meghan’s 73-year-old father Thomas allegedly arranged for “candid” shots of himself to be taken by a celebrity photographer. While money is believe to have changed hands, Thomas claims he was motivated to arrange for photographs so that he didn’t embarrass Meghan with any unwholesome shots.
- After the scandal broke, Thomas appeared to waffle on whether or not to attend the wedding and walk Meghan down the aisle as reports emerged that the Queen was “very angry” about the kerfluffle and Harry was “devastated.”
- Eventually, he backed out, citing heart surgery as the reason. Meghan confirmed the news in a statement shared via Kensington Palace.
- The statement read: “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health. I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
- Meanwhile, her estranged half-sister Samantha has been front and center granting interviews and claiming that it was her idea to have her father stage photographs. (She wasn’t invited to the wedding). On Wednesday, Samantha reportedly suffered a broken ankle and fractured knee after her boyfriend crashed their car attempting to evade paparazzi in Florida.
- And her half-brother Thomas Jr. is also busy publicizing his opinions about “phony” Meghan. In an open letter obtained by InTouch, he told Prince Harry: “As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history. Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you,” urging him to skip out on the ceremony.
- In other news, Page Six reported that not all of the 600 guests invited to their reception will be receiving catered food. Instead, they will have to bring picnics.
- Only guests who have access to the chapel ceremony itself will receive a catered meal.
- On a brighter note, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland has arrived in London from L.A., and she met Harry’s father Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla for tea at their London home. Doria won’t meet the Queen until the day of the wedding.
