Meghan Markle and Prince Harry get married this weekend — but Americans will have to get up very early to watch the live stream.
Here we have all the details about what day and time to watch, and how you can do it.
Royal wedding: The build-up
It’s wedding week and the news surrounding the gorgeous and seemingly happy couple has been a bit unsettled and fraught with chatter.
Reality TV star and former news editor Piers Morgan called Meghan’s half-sister Samantha “ghastly” and a “vulture” — and her father has been the most discussed tabloid fodder of late.
But all families have their troubles and this highly anticipated wedding has given many in the UK a lot of hope that cultural change and acceptance is now on solid footing.
It looks like Ms. Markle’s African-American mother Doria Ragland will be at her side as she heads to the altar at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel this Saturday.
But enough about all the serious stuff and drama. It looks like this really is just a time of love and happiness, with the two never having seemingly taken a photo where they are not beaming.
Despite all the naysayers and negative remarks, the striking couple are a fresh twist in the pantheon of all Royal weddings.
When is the Royal wedding? Date and time
The wedding will be held this Saturday, May 19, 2018. Americans will have to set their alarm clocks due to the time differences.
The Royal wedding takes place at midday in the UK — that is 7am Eastern Time in the US, 6am Central Time, 5am Mountain Time, 4am Pacific Time, 3am Alaska Time and 1am Hawaii Time.
Guests will arrive from 9.30am to 11am UK time, so from two and a half hours before the start of the ceremony.
How to watch the Royal wedding in the US
There are lots of different ways to watch the Royal wedding in the US, and here’s a comprehensive guide.
BBC America
For coverage of all the events, BBC America will air the Royal wedding live and pipe in the direct simulcast of BBC ONE’s coverage on Saturday, May 19, beginning at 4am Eastern time.
The network says there will be limited commercial breaks. BBC America is airing 14 royal documentaries this week in the build-up.
CNN Live Coverage
The cable news network will have Anderson Cooper, Alisyn Camerota, and Don Lemon all up at 4am ET to begin their coverage.
The news network will have strategically placed anchors, correspondents and contributors to cover every conceivable angle of the wedding.
Coverage will include guest arrivals and fashion, as well as the ceremonial traditions from the historic Windsor Castle and St. George’s Chapel.
Stationed at Windsor are CNN reporters Kate Bennett, Jason Carroll, Bianca Nobilo, Isa Soares and Nick Watt. Royal correspondent Max Foster, CNNI anchor Richard Quest, senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward and fashion expert Joe Zee will also be on hand to report on the events
Also booked to comment are CNN Royal commentators Victoria Arbiter and Kate Williams, Bonnie Greer, Sally Bedell Smith, Prince Harry biographer Angela Levin and Boston University dean and Meghan Markle’s former theater professor at Northwestern University, Dr. Harvey Young.
The network’s coverage will include following the royal procession as it travels to the castle and will be simulcast across CNN/U.S., CNN International and HLN Headline News. CNN en Español will simulcast from 7-11am ET. CNN will replay the nuptials at 8pm ET on Saturday and HLN will re-air at 3 pm ET.
PBS
PBS is airing a five-part nightly series (beginning May 14) which ends with a live broadcast of the wedding on May 19.
NBC
Samantha Guthrie and Hoda Kotb are in London for NBC. On the wedding day, commentary will begin on the network at 4.30am Eastern with the two women reporting live from a vantage point with visual access to Windsor Castle.
CBS
CBS will start their coverage at 4am Eastern from Windsor. Tina Brown will join Gayle King and Kevin Frazier live. CBSN, CBS’s live-streaming site will also reportedly be broadcasting coverage starting at 4am.
ABC
Good Morning America will cover the wedding from 5am eastern on ABC. News program 20/20 will also provide coverage with primetime specials on Friday, May 18 at 10pm ET and Saturday, May 19 at 10pm Eastern.
MSNBC
Beginning at 4am Eastern, Joy Reid will anchor MSNBC’s coverage of the royal wedding, with Stephanie Ruhle and Katy Tur reporting live from Windsor.
E!
E! Live From the Royal Wedding features hosts Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski, Sarah-Jane Crawford, and royal expert Melanie Bromley beginning at 5am Eastern time on May 19.
FOX
Fox’s coverage commences at 5am Eastern with Ainsley Earhardt broadcasting live from Windsor. At 6am, Shepard Smith and Sandra Smith will join coverage of the event.
The actual UK wedding day timeline
Guests will arrive between 9.30am and 11am UK-time. The members of the Royal Family are then set to arrive and enter St. George’s chapel through the Galilee Porch at 11:20am.
Prince Harry and his brother and best man the Duke of Cambridge are due at the chapel’s west steps at 11:45am.
Queen Elizabeth will be the last of the Royal Family to arrive for the service and is expected at 11:55am.
The service will begin at 12pm.
Meghan Markle will enter the chapel’s west steps at 11:59am, with her mother Doria Ragland accompanying her to St George’s Chapel by car.
At the castle, Ms. Ragland will exchange places with the bridesmaids and pageboys. She will then enter the chapel by the Galilee Porch.
It was reported that the father-of-the-bride no longer intends to travel from Mexico to the UK to attend the ceremony.
The Dean of Windsor, The Rt Revd. David Conner, will oversee the ceremony, while the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will officiate the vows.
The regiments Prince Harry served alongside in Afghanistan will be involved in proceedings. Household Cavalry troopers will reportedly be lining the staircase at St George’s Chapel.
Comrades including the 3 Regiment Army Air Corps as well as The Royal Gurkha Rifles and RAF Honington, where he is Honorary Air Commandant, will be there.
The Windsor Castle Guard from 1st Battalion Irish Guards and Armed Forces personnel from the Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving (Prince Harry is Commodore-in-Chief, and for the Royal Marines he is Captain-General) will be present and be lining the streets too.
But, what about the cake?
The British royal family wedding tradition of a well-dressed marzipan frosted fruitcake will be tweaked by an upstart Californian-UK transplant.
It was reported that Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery in Hackney, East London, is baking an organic Amalfi lemon and English elderflower cake for the couple.
Ptak is widely regarded as a leading baker and lauded by British cooking legends like Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.
Enjoy the big day!