How to watch the royal wedding online
The royal wedding will air very, very early Friday morning. Here's how to watch Prince William and Kate's big day live from your computer.
Here's your pass to watching the royal wedding online. Pictured, a tube passenger holds a royal wedding commemorative Oyster card, bearing an image of Britain's Prince William and his fianceé Kate Middleton, at an entrance barrier in King's Cross station in London on April 21.
Luke MacGregor/Reuters
The royal wedding is Friday. But thanks to dastardly time zones, Americans will watch Prince William and Catherine Middleton walk down the aisle very early in the morning. Festivities will officially kick off at 6 a.m. Eastern time, but many broadcasts will begin three or four hours earlier.
Worry not, late risers. With Internet steaming, you can enjoy the whole event, commentary and all, on a laptop from the comfort of your bed. So grab your PJs and check out this guide on watching the royal wedding online.
YouTube will broadcast a live feed on its Royal Channel. This "official channel for the British Monarchy" includes a full map of the procession, digital wedding book filled with user videos and well wishes, and a clock counting down the seconds.
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Several news organizations have set up shop over at Livestream. The Associated Press, CBS News, and The Insider will each post their commentary through the live video site, starting at 5 a.m.
For authentic British accents, check out the BBC's massive William and Kate website. The page boasts pictures, videos, and a look back at past royal weddings.
If you need truly exhaustive coverage, check out UStream, which is already providing a live feed from Buckingham Palace. ET's full programing begins on UStream at 1 a.m.
Of course, websites aren't the only way to keep track of the nuptials of William and Kate. Luckily, we live in the age of smartphone apps.
On this side of the pond, the most-buzzed about app is the self-explanatory The Royal Wedding by NBC News. The Royal Wedding sports a spiffy "interactive" family tree –– so you can tell one bespectacled, finely-dressed royal from another –– hundreds of photos, and plenty of useful tips for creating your own royal wedding party, should you be the kind of person who goes in for cucumber sandwiches and warm tea. Access the free app here.
Meanwhile, the folks over at English gossip staple Hello! magazine –– note the exclamation mark –– have created their own downloadable application, which is being billed as "an intimate collection of photos and commentary." Included in the Hello! app are a bunch of images of William and Kate, along with a timeline of their courtship, and a big old wedding countdown clock. You can download that here.
But fret not, dear wedding fans. The tabloids aren't the only British outlets with a wedding app to call their own –– the austere BBC is also getting in on the game. The BBC app –– for iPhones and iPads –– regularly flashes a wedding fact of the day, interspersed with wedding tips from the pros at Brides magazine. Best of all is the My Royal Wedding functionality, which lets armchair princes and princesses create their own pixelated ceremony, and share it with friends. The BBC app is here.