Princess Eugenie’s wedding to be shown live on TV ‘after BBC snub’

Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank will be shown live on ITV after the BBC reportedly turned it down, it has been confirmed.

Eugenie – ninth in line to the throne – is marrying Mr Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on October 12.

ITV agreed to broadcast the event after the BBC turned down an offer from Eugenie’s father Prince Andrew, saying it would be a ratings flop, it was claimed.

The couple will tie the knot at the same venue as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during an extended, three-hour This Morning special, called This Morning at the Royal Wedding.

Hosted by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, the programme will show the arrivals at St George’s Chapel from 9.25am before live coverage of the wedding begins at 11am.

The broadcast will show the couple leaving the chapel before it turns to comment and analysis from ITV’s panel of presenters and guests.

A 30-minute highlights programme, called the Royal Wedding: A Family Celebration, will be shown later that night at 8pm.

Buckingham Palace confirmed on Tuesday that the wedding would be shown on ITV.

It came just days after a report by the Mail on Sunday claimed BBC executives had turned down the chance to broadcast the second royal wedding of 2018.

BBC executives thought it would be a ratings flop as Prince Andrew tried to strike a deal for live coverage, the report claimed.

It is said that the security bill for the wedding is set to top £2m.

Eugenie’s sister Beatrice will be her chief bridesmaid.

Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan’s wedding on May 19 was a massive ratings winner, with tens of millions of TV viewers around the world.

It was the most watched television event of the year in the UK, where 18 million people tuned in.

BBC One had an average of 8.7 million viewers of five hours of coverage, while ITV averaged 2.5 million.