The royal wedding was a very big deal on Saturday, despite its very early start time.
Several weeks of unchecked hype by the American and British media culminated in the May 19 nuptials between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The stateside audience for the ceremony was a whopping 22.4 million viewers across the six major networks carrying it.
Royal ratings are expected to grow even more when Nielsen Media reports cable tallies, but none will likely approach NBC. The network’s coverage, under the Today umbrella, led with 6.42 million viewers. ABC was right on its tail, averaging 6.38 million, while CBS tallied 4.79 million. Those numbers are for average viewership between 6 and 9 a.m. PT, when the majority of the procession and event took place.
Another 4.8 million viewers watched on the big three cable news networks; Fox News led with 2 million, followed by CNN with 1.8 million and just under 1 million for MSNBC.
U.S. viewership is on track to beat that in the U.K., where early multi-channel returns give a reported audience of 18 million.
Markle’s status as an American and a former actress may have further helped her big day. It is now expected to be slightly bigger than the last royal wedding, as tallies for the 2011 nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, averaged nearly 23 million viewers across all U.S. networks airing the event.
_____________________________________________Royal Wedding: So Many Hats!
7:55 AM PDT 5/19/2018 by Laurie Brookins
Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Which royals and stars worked with Philip Treacy, Stephen Jones – and L.A.-based milliner Louise Green?
Hats and fascinators did not disappoint at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: An abundance of couture headgear was seen at St. George’s Chapel Saturday morning, and all of it was on point, according to Los Angeles-based milliner Louise Green. “The quality, the level, the styling – everybody looked incredible,” Green said soon after the conclusion of the ceremony. “I didn’t see any weird hats. I only saw great workmanship and style.”
Ian West – WPA Pool/Getty Images Gina Torres
In her Cotner Avenue studio, Green created a trio of hats for London-bound Americans invited to the wedding: a blush-toned straw fedora style for Meghan’s former Suits co-star, Gina Torres; a lampshade design (similar to a bucket hat, the shape was popularized by Christian Dior in the 1950s) in navy, accented with an oversized silk cabbage rose, for Suitsproducer Silver Tree; and a dramatic, wave-like fascinator in gunmetal gray for Meredith Winston, wife of Ben Winston, writer and producer of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Torres’s hat, which featured sprigs of vintage leaves, also came with a healthy dose of symbolism. “She wanted classic American style; she wanted to go as an American, so she decided on a fedora, which was perfect for her,” Green explained.
Ian West – WPA Pool/Getty Images Oprah
As one of the earliest arrivals, Oprah Winfrey set the tone for chic chapeaus in Philip Treacy’s natural sweeping brimmed hat accented with a sculpted flower. Treacy’s London office reported that the famed milliner designed 20 hats for guests of the royal wedding, including a pale rose-pink hand-sculpted feather hat for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and a buttermilk-hued, petal-shaped hat adorned with ribbons and handmade silk rosettes for Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.
In her Cotner Avenue studio, Green created a trio of hats for London-bound Americans invited to the wedding: a blush-toned straw fedora style for Meghan’s former Suits co-star, Gina Torres; a lampshade design (similar to a bucket hat, the shape was popularized by Christian Dior in the 1950s) in navy, accented with an oversized silk cabbage rose, for Suits producer Silver Tree; and a dramatic, wave-like fascinator in gunmetal gray for Meredith Winston, wife of Ben Winston, writer and producer of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Torres’s hat, which featured sprigs of vintage leaves, also came with a healthy dose of symbolism. “She wanted classic American style; she wanted to go as an American, so she decided on a fedora, which was perfect for her,” Green explained.
Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla Duchess of Cornwall
Priyanka Chopra Chris Jackson/Getty Images Priyanka Chopra
Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
Noted friend-of-Meghan Priyanka Chopra, meanwhile, lit up Twitter when she arrived in a lilac Vivienne Westwood suit paired with Treacy’s lilac “sweeping wave” fascinator accented with a large hand-painted silk rose.
Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images Amal Clooney
Amal Clooney likewise set social media on fire when she arrived on husband George’s arm. The well-known human rights lawyer worked with Stella McCartney on a bespoke dress in bright yellow silk cady with a side drape detail, which was topped by a matching hat with veil by Stephen Jones. The milliner released a statement soon after the ceremony commenced, calling the wedding “an extraordinary and joyous moment for me in 40 years of millinery.” Jones also crafted the mint beret worn by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty Images Doria Ragland
Not to be outdone, of course, was the woman second only to the bride in high-wattage attention on Saturday. Queen Ellzabeth wore a dress and matching coat in lime green by one of her favorites, Stewart Parvin, with a lime hat accented with purple flowers and feathers by Angela Kelly, who is not only a designer and milliner; she’s also the Queen’s assistant and senior dresser. “I was pleasantly surprised to see that accent of purple on her hat, since she usually chooses a look that’s completely monotone,” Green noted. “But it worked beautifully on her; she looked very festive.”
TV Ratings: 22.4 Million U.S. Viewers RSVP to Royal Wedding
