Millions listened to the Queen’s wedding. Billions will watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The royal wedding by the numbers: 200 million people tuned into the BBC broadcast of Elizabeth’s wedding. Many more will watch Harry and Meghan.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 18: HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are joined at Clarence House by their immediate family, HRH The Prince of Wales (L), HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (above C) , HRH The Duke of York (TopL) and HRH The Earl of Wessex (TopR) on the occasion of a dinner hosted by HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to celebrate the forthcoming Diamond Wedding Anniversary of the Queen and The Duke, on Sunday November 18, 2007 in London, England. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
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Getting hitched was an entirely different affair when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip tied the knot back in 1947. The Second World War had barely come to a close and rations were still in effect. Even the Queen had to save up clothing rations to pay for her dress.
Televisions also weren’t quite a thing yet—they certainly weren’t in many households. So in order to participate in the royal affair, the public had to tune into BBC radio, which broadcast the ceremony around the world to an estimated 200 million people.
Compare that to today: between radio, television and social media, Harper’s Bazaar is estimating that nearly three billion people will listen to or watch the upcoming royal wedding. If that estimate is correct, that’s more than a third of the world’s population.
