How to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding

Unless you've been living under a rock, you’ll be aware of the royal wedding taking place on Saturday 19 May.

The happy couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are expecting cheering crowds packing the pavements of Windsor and thousands more celebrating in their local communities at street parties across the nation.

And on television, the BBC, ITV and Sky News will cover the event extensively. ITV has broken early, unveiling its full plans for the day. Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham will present live coverage of the wedding from a purpose-built studio in Windsor, beginning at 9.25am and running until 3pm.

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ITV3 will also produce a special hour-long Royal Wedding highlights show later in the day.

The BBC has announced that it will waive the licence fee for local communities wanting to watch the wedding at public events, meaning that people will be able to watch the royal nuptials at special events and parties at no extra cost.

The wedding service will begin at 12.00pm sharp at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, but “expect several hours of TV coverage first as the excitement and anticipation builds”, says the Radio Times.

All three broadcasters are expected to screen coverage of the wedding online and through their mobile broadcasting apps.

Can you watch the royal wedding in Windsor?

After the ceremony, there will be a procession taking the newlyweds' carriage around Windsor.

Thousands of people are expected to turn out for the event, lining the route along Castle Hill, High Street, Sheet Street, Kings Road and Albert Road.

Kensington Palace said Prince Harry and Markle “hope this short journey will provide an opportunity for more people to come together around Windsor and to enjoy the atmosphere of this special day”.

If you're keen to see the bride and groom in the flesh after they've tied the knot in St George's chapel, The Sun has a handy guide of how to get there from around the UK.

How many people will tune in?

You can expect the wedding to attract a large audience in the UK and abroad. About 27 million Brits and 23 million Americans watched the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011.

The BBC's coverage of William and Kate's wedding “attracted 67.2% of the television audience share that day”, says The Daily Telegraph, drawing 18.7 million viewers to BBC One during the ceremony. More than a million people used BBC iPlayer to watch the coverage.

Be warned though: the BBC is not waiving the licence fee for the FA Cup final - due to be shown directly after the royal wedding - so make sure you switch the TV off before kick-off if you don’t have the right to watch it.