The royal wedding is almost upon us!
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to say “I do” on Saturday, May 19, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in England.
Harry, 33, and Markle, 36, will be wed in a ceremony starting at 12 p.m. London time (7 a.m. EST; 4 a.m. PST), followed an hour later by a carriage procession around the town of Windsor.
GlobalNews.ca will be featuring live coverage of the wedding starting at 5:30 a.m. ET, including the wedding ceremony and the newlywed carriage tour of Windsor.
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WATCHING THE ROYAL WEDDING LIVE? Here’s the schedule
On Saturday, May 19 at 4:30 a.m. ET/ 1:30 a.m. PT, Global’s coverage kicks into high gear with special Harry & Meghan: Their Love Story, hosted by Cheryl Hickey and Dawna Friesen. The one-hour show takes a closer look at the couple’s whirlwind romance. From their secret rendezvous in Toronto to Markle taking a leap of faith by hopping the pond, the special features interviews with royal and celebrity insiders Andrew Morton, Katie Nicholl and Shinan Govani.
Global’s wedding day coverage continues live at 5:30 a.m. ET/ 2:30 a.m. PT with Harry & Meghan: The Royal Wedding, broadcasting live from Windsor, U.K. with hosts Cheryl Hickey, Sangita Patel and Dawna Friesen, who are joined by special guest Ross Mathews (Celebrity Big Brother). With expert celebrity knowledge, comedic flair and a love of all things pop culture, Mathews is the perfect complement to co-host the five-and-a-half hour program.
Along with drop-in guests including royal expert and author Phil Dampier and powerhouse celebrity publicist Simon Jones, the broadcast will chronicle all the details of the royal wedding, including the procession to St George’s Chapel and Markle walking down the aisle.
Coverage of the event continues into the evening with the final U.K. edition of Global National recapping the day at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. Then, the highly anticipated movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on W Network, kicking off the specialty network’s Always & Forever event of four weekends filled with back-to-back wedding-themed movies celebrating the newlyweds.
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The Gothic St George’s Chapel is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, which has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years.
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Within the chapel are the tombs of 10 sovereigns, including Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, and Charles I.
Kensington Palace confirmed that the newlywed couple will then have a private reception with their personal guests at St George’s Hall. Prince Charles, Harry’s father, will be hosting the private reception. This will be for close friends and family only.
While Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s wedding guests included many officials and dignitaries from around the world, this royal wedding will not. The Associated Press reported last week that Harry and Markle’s wedding guests consist largely of family and friends.
Because Harry — fifth in line to the throne behind his father, his brother, Prince George and Princess Charlotte — isn’t expected to ever become king, Kensington Palace said, “It has been decided that an official list of political leaders, both U.K. and international, is not required” for the wedding.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury will officiate the wedding, and the Dean of Windsor will conduct the service.
Pastry chef Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes in London will be baking the official wedding cake, and she said it’ll be a buttercream-topped, lemon elderflower flavoured cake, to “incorporate the bright flavours of spring.”
As for flowers, London florist Philippa Craddock is taking the lead. Markle’s favourite flower is the peony, so expect those to be plentiful.
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The photographer for the big day will be Alexi Lubomirski, who snapped those now-infamous engagement photos.
The Royal family announced it will be paying for the wedding in its entirety. (British taxpayers won’t be footing the bill.) Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding reportedly cost close to US$34 million.