Royal wedding: How US TV covered Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's ceremony

As the ceremony aptly demonstrated - it's America's wedding, too

To Americans, the true formality of the British royal wedding is veiled in a tinge of mystique. We’re dealing here with former political rulers now, essentially, downgraded to tax-funded celebrities - and it’s hard for non-Brits to know how to react.

That small bubble of internal conflict seemed to dominate how US television covered the wedding between Prince Harry and, one of their very own, Meghan Markle: with CBS, ABC, and NBC all leveraging mildly differentiating levels of sombreness for their broadcasts.

On one end of the scale was CBS’ Gayle King, attending in the actual spirit of any willing wedding attendee: channelling her “inner Beyoncé” by changing her hat/fascinator every hour, while liberally sharing the secrets James Corden had urged her to keep quiet for as long as possible - he’s put together the day’s reception programme, apparently.

NBC’s coverage was similarly loose and jovial in its tone, swiftly establishing the running joke that every time James Blunt would appear on screen, someone would burst into “You’re Beautiful”. That’s coupled with the ecstatic cry of, “Royalty has arrived!”, when George and Amal Clooney turned up, and a passing shrug for when the actual Queen finally graced St. George’s Chapel with her presence.

That said, there was one tactic quite clearly trotted out to deliberately add sophistication to the proceedings: the royal correspondent. It was particularly favoured by ABC, whose coverage was somehow the more muted of the three, despite the presence of America’s favourite day-drinkers, Kathie Lee and Hoda. Notably, they did leave the giant wine glasses at home for this one.

The royal correspondent, of course, was always a British reporter with an RP accent that could cut glass, brought in to calmly explain this web of tradition was slowly unfurling before them.

Common topics amongst them included: Princess Diana, the professionalism of the armed units marching, and, a little oddly, the consistent repping of Prince Charles as the forgotten hero of the whole proceedings.

Yet, even the most composed of reporters could hardly resist getting caught up in the action, as commentators were often forced into silence as their audio became overwhelmed by the cheers of the crowds. ABC’s entire panel turned their back to the camera to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds making their way down the Long Walk in their carriage.

Of course, this royal event was unlike any other for US viewers. Ms Markle is American, after all, with the ceremony itself aptly demonstrating that this was a union shared between two nations.

US reporters were always keen to seek out the Americans that had flocked to Windsor, and they certainly weren’t short in number: ABC’s Deborah Roberts found herself awkwardly posed on a platform along the Long Walk, wearing a teapot hat and surrounded by any army of flags and banners.

NBC, meanwhile, had Megyn Kelly, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Al Roker all dispersed amongst the crowds, with the two ladies hoping they might be able to bag a last-minute invite.

What’s interesting is that the tone of the conversation when it came to Ms Markle herself wasn’t the traditional “dream come true” narrative you might expect with a royal wedding; America is proud of what she’s already achieved in the world as an entertainer and humanitarian, so the tone was far more protective and, even, hesitant of the future.

Indeed, the royal experts were often quizzed on the day-to-day realities of royal marriage and what duties she might be expected to fulfil. With Ms Markle so upheld as the portrait of a modern, feminist woman, the focus on her potential work as an ambassador for the Commonwealth, as opposed to any old tropes of the fairytale princess, suited her far better.

There was also a touch of anthropological interest in the workings of the British people. CBS’ King stressed that guests were not being ferried by buses but by “luxury coaches”, fascinated by the concept, as if the very idea of above-standard public transport was alien to the US.

ABC also found itself launched into a session of tea training, while further being lectured on upper-crust life by an American woman who had also married into British aristocracy.

One moment of slight dismay came when CBS spoke to a group of young American women, who had travelled from disparate places to catch a glimpse of Harry and Ms Markle, only to confess they’d felt a little looked down upon by the local population. Whether the Brits like it or not, after all, it was America’s wedding, too.

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