Entertainment

Here's How You Can Watch The 2018 Royal Wedding If You Missed It The First Time Around

by Brad Witter
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As the countdown to the Royal Wedding nears its end, many Americans already have their alarm clocks set to catch the fairy tale nuptials across the pond in real-time. But will NBC replay the 2018 Royal Wedding?

The network has not yet announced whether it will replay the highly-anticipated event, but late risers will be covered regardless, as BBC and HBO have promised afternoon re-airings of their coverage. Reps for NBC told Bustle that there are no plans to reair the actual wedding on the network later in the day. Update: NBC announced during its Saturday Royal wedding broadcast that the wedding would be replayed at 10 AM Eastern time.

Earlier: With the the nuptials themselves slated to begin at noon in London on Saturday, May 19, that means East Coasters will have to have their fascinators in place and viewing parties well underway by 7 a.m. ET at the latest, while those on the West Coast will have an even earlier 4 a.m. wakeup call.

Almost 23 million viewers in the U.S. tuned into Prince William and Kate Middleton's April 2011 wedding, per Deadline, and we're sure a comparable number of eyes will be glued to their TV sets this time around as well. After all, the bride is living a true American fairy tale of transitioning from an ordinary California girl to marrying a prince at St. George's Chapel.

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For those not wanting to miss a moment, the Today Show's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will kick off their coverage at 4:30 a.m. ET on NBC (also live streaming on Today.com, Facebook, Twitter, and their YouTube channel). After the royal couple say their "I Do's" the co-anchors will give a live look at the carriage procession back to Windsor Castle, where there will be two wedding receptions.

Unfortunately for the Today co-anchors — and the rest of us — though, they won't have an inside look at either soiree. "We're not invited to the wedding," Kotb, who referred to herself and Guthrie as "official wedding crashers," joked to Jimmy Fallon on a May 2 episode of The Tonight Show. "We're just gonna dress up, and hang around ... We're gonna be on some rooftop somewhere, peeking in."

Added Guthrie, "People keep asking, 'What are you guys gonna wear to the royal wedding?' I'm like, 'We don't even have to wear pants.' We're sitting behind a desk! It doesn’t matter what we wear."

NBC also previously announced that leading up to the main event, the duo will host a primetime special on Wednesday, May 16 called Inside the Royal Wedding: Harry and Meghan. With that broadcast, Anglophiles will be able to whet their appetite with a glimpse into what is sure to be the wedding of the year.

Meanwhile over on HBO, Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon will reprise their characters from Amazon's Rose Parade coverage, "broadcast legend" Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan for a more comedic take with the network's The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish!, airing at 7:30 a.m. ET, followed by a replay later that day.

“This wedding is going to be a blast,” Ferrell (in characters) teased in a promo. “There will be more luxury packed into that church than all the Bed, Bath & Beyonds combined.”

Shannon (as Cattigan, of course), who will also be joined by fellow Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows, among other special guests added, “Every little girl dreams of growing up and marrying a prince! Now I get to be front-row center of this fairytale romance. I’ll be crying all day!”

Also joining the mix is BBC America, with a spokesperson announcing on April 26 that they will air a live simulcast here in the United States of BBC One's coverage. They, too, will have an afternoon airing of all the public wedding festivities.

“When American Meghan Markle marries HRH Prince Harry it will be a truly global cultural moment, with enormous fanfare around the world," BBC America President Sarah Barnett said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be the true home of this Royal Wedding, a union that precisely mirrors our own heritage! The whole week leading up to the royal wedding will be a celebration you won’t want to miss.”

Indeed, everyone is going to be talking about the wedding for weeks to come — if not longer — and tears will be aplenty as we all watch an American get her crown. But, hey, if you oversleep, at least you'll know where to tune-in to get caught up on the morning's main event.