Where will YOU be watching?

IT FEELS like the grand finale to a long-running soap opera storyline: Who will walk the beautiful bride up the aisle of St George’s Chapel? Will her uninvited family members — who have flown into London regardless — continue to make a show of her?

Will celebrities like Lady Gaga, Elton John and the Beckhams be in attendance as predicted? How many guests will be sporting hats designed by our own Philip Treacy? And — the most burning question of all — what kind of dress will thoroughly modern Meghan wear, a traditional confection or demure couture?

All will be revealed later today as the wedding of the year unfolds across the water. We asked some royal watchers — from the mildly curious to the utterly fascinated — why they will be tuning in today.

ROSEMARY SMITH The former rally driver runs a driving school in Dublin She says:

‘I THINK I’m like an awful lot of other Irish people — I don’t think I’m interested in watching but I’ll take a look all the same. I’ll have lunch with my friends as usual but they will have the television on in the place where we go for lunch and I’ll want to see what her dress is like. It’s a spectacular sort of event, really.

I remember when I was very young, the Queen got married — I had scrapbooks full of stuff about it. But I don’t think Harry and Meghan are a good match actually. It’s like Mrs Simpson and Edward, an American divorcée marrying a younger man.’

CELIA HOLMAN LEE Celia is a stylist and model agent. She says:

‘I THINK royal weddings are fascinating and I’ve always watched them. You can’t be in the fashion industry and say you’re not interested. The style will be number one, everyone will want to see how beautiful Meghan is going to look. I’ll be watching all the guests to see what they’re wearing, looking at the colours, the shapes — and the hats especially. I also love looking at the kids in the bridal party and the flowers. I’ll watch the whole ceremony here at home with my daughter and my granddaughter Erica, who is seven. All little girls love princesses and she will be thrilled to see a real, live princess — usually they’re only in cartoons!

LAURA ERSKINE Laura is head of community for MummyPages.ie. She says:

‘I WILL be glued to the television. Every woman loves a good wedding — the style, the ceremony and the emotion associated with young love. We simply can’t resist! The beauty of this is that it isn’t reality television where we secretly know most of the characters have been carefully choreographed and scripted. This is a real-life romance and wedding between a genuine prince and his maiden. I also have a six-year-old daughter Lucy, who is obsessed with dressing-up and role play. She’s super excited. We will create a special tea party in our house where we have a cinema screen we will project it on to for maximum effect. Lucy has invited her friends from the neighbourhood to join us for cordial, tea and biscuits.’

CLAUDIA CARROLL The author’s new book The Secrets of Primrose Square is out in July. She says:

‘I AM the ultimate royal watcher and have been since the days of Diana. I love Prince Harry and I think Meghan Markle, like Amal Clooney, is a feminist who has worked so hard to get to where she is. We all want a happy ending for Harry — will we ever forget him as a poor little boy of 12 walking behind his mother’s coffin through the streets of London? — but it’s not looking good. Poor Meghan, God love her, she doesn’t come from the world’s most functional family. They say William looks like Diana but Harry acts like her, and she was certainly impulsive in matters of the heart. She went in two feet first in love, often to her cost.

Harry and Meghan have had a long-distance relationship and those are very heady — all about flights and fabulous weekends, passion, romance and fireworks. But it’s not real life. It’s like living in a bubble. But anyway, I’ll be glued to the TV screen. My godson’s Communion is on Saturday but we will be watching the wedding too. I wish Harry and Meghan a lifetime of happiness and I hope they prove me wrong!’

CAROLINE KENNEDY The PR agent is sister of fashion designer Louise. She says:

‘I’M organising a breakfast event for friends and family in the Merrion Hotel so we can all watch it together. We did the same for Kate and Will’s wedding and it was great fun. I’m not a royalist but my friend Melanie Morris and I, going back more than 20 years, have a tradition of watching all the big TV moments together. Melanie is the Martha Stewart, in charge of the styling — bunting and fake tiaras. I look after the coffees and croissants. Louise will be with us and as her designs have been worn to royal weddings in the past [Amy Huberman wore Louise when attending Prince William and Kate’s wedding in 2011] we can defer to her expertise when it comes to the big reveal of what Meghan is wearing.’

DARREN KENNEDY The presenter will cover the royal wedding for RTÉ. He says:

‘I’M hosting the coverage for RTÉ alongside Maura Derrane, Evelyn O’Rourke and Fiona Mitchell. We will give viewers the inside scoop on what’s going on all morning and throughout the day, from when the

guests and bridal party arrive to the moment the newlywed couple leaves the chapel. The big thing we all want to know who’s walking her up the aisle and who designed the dress. After that it’s who’s on the guest list. But it will be a much more relaxed affair than Kate Middleton’s wedding to Prince William, which had more pomp and ceremony. I presume he and Meghan will change for the reception so Harry might wear something a little more relaxed like a tuxedo or a suit. That’s probably as relaxed as things get for royals!’

CAROL KENNELLY Carol is an awardwinning milliner. She says:

‘I’M so looking forward to it and will be watching it at home in Tralee on my own so I have full control of the remote. I can pause and rewind to my heart’s content, soaking in every piece of millinery magic. If this royal wedding is anything like the last, the hats worn will set the trends for the coming year. I cannot wait in particular to see what amazing creations Philip Treacy has dreamt up.’

TARA FAY The wedding planner organised weddings for Rosanna Davison and Wes Quirke, Nicky Byrne and Georgina Ahern, and Andrea Corr and Brett Desmond. She says:

‘WE’VE all been watching the drama unfold. The big thing will always be the dress and I will be watching that and also the flowergirls’ dresses — because those will be the things people will want to copy. Equally the bouquet and flowers will influence trends, as will the church music. The amount of lace included in wedding dresses after Kate’s big day was remarkable. Royal weddings hugely influence what people want for their own big days. Meghan loves her shoes so I’m interested to see what shoes she will wear. But we won’t get to see what Meghan and Harry will wear at the reception afterwards because it’s private.’