The royal wedding that was watched more at the time than the Sussexes’ - and no, it’s not Prince William and Kate’s!

There’s a surprising royal wedding that was watched more at the time than the Sussexes’ big day - and it’s not Prince William and Kate Middleton’s. 

• Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s wedding in 1999 was reportedly watched by an average of 14.8 million in the UK compared to the Sussexes’ 11.5 million. 
• Although Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding has since surpassed this it might surprise some that the Wessexes’ wedding was bigger viewing-wise at the time.
• This royal news comes as Prince William and Kate Middleton made a major social media change after a significant announcement. 

There’s nothing quite like a royal wedding and although it’s been a while since the last one broadcast to fans at home, many of us can’t help looking back at the ones that have gone before. From Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding at Westminster Abbey to the late Queen Elizabeth marrying Prince Philip there've been some magical moments. Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day was another iconic occasion in recent years, it seems that there was another royal wedding that was watched more at the time.

The youngest of the Queen’s children, Prince Edward, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999 at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle just like the Sussexes did 19 years later. According to Hello! (opens in new tab), when Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, an estimated combined audience of 14.8 million allegedly watched.

However, The Telegraph (opens in new tab) reported in 2018 that the average viewership for Prince Harry and Meghan’s big day across the BBC and ITV was 11 million with a further 500,000 apparently tuning in via Sky News, BBC News and Sky One. This suggests that approximately 11.5 million people in the UK watched overall. 

Of course, with US viewers estimated at 29 million according to Nielsen (opens in new tab), the overall viewing figures globally would be far higher. Meanwhile, streaming-wise Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding has now reached 38 million views on the Royal Family’s official YouTube channel since then. 

Despite this, it might still come as a fairly huge surprise to fans that Prince Edward and Sophie’s wedding was supposedly watched by millions more in the UK.

Both were significant occasions as the grooms were the Queen’s son and grandson respectively, however Meghan is a famous figure in her own right internationally. There was also a huge level of media scrutiny leading up to the Sussexes’ big day, not to mention a lot of US celebrities were invited. 

Many people were likely also intrigued to compare their nuptials with the Wales’ wedding (apparently watched by 17 million at the time). Even so, it seems that Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s wedding attracted more public attention in the UK. 

The couple walked down the aisle in 1999 after six years together and it was announced that they would be known as the Earl and Countess of Wessex. 

A statement released ahead of their wedding also suggested that the couple could possibly receive another title one day too. 

“The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that the Prince Edward should be given the Dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title held now by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the Crown,” it reportedly declared.

All these years later the Earl and Countess of Wessex are set to celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary in June 2023 and remain prominent working royals, supporting King Charles and Queen Camilla.