THE Royal Wedding will be shown live on a 50ft screen in the Cathedral Close, followed by a free party held by the BBC in a bid to boost the city.

The broadcaster will be holding a celebration of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding on Saturday, May 19.

The event will start at 9am, with a live broadcast of the ceremony on a giant BBC screen, as well as activities hosted by Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire Creative and Salisbury Museum.

There will be live music performances from local artists on the BBC Wiltshire stage, a chance for children to write good luck messages to the Royal couple, crown making craft sessions, as well as CBBC activities.

Canon Edward Probert, Acting Dean of Salisbury, said: “We are grateful to the BBC for affording us the opportunity to screen the Royal Wedding live here at the Cathedral and to BBC Wiltshire for their support of our city.

"The place comes into its own when it hosts events like this, allowing the community to come together to celebrate on the Cathedral lawns.

"It is something we love to see and an opportunity, after recent events, to look forward to the future with confidence as we celebrate the union of Prince Harry and Meghan.”

Mary Sanders, editor at BBC Wiltshire, said: “We are very much looking forward to celebrating the Royal Wedding with everyone in the wonderful city of Salisbury.

"We’d love people to join us in the grounds of the Cathedral to wish the Royal couple well and enjoy the stunning surroundings with friends and family.

"It’s been an extraordinary and difficult few months in Salisbury and this is a perfect chance to come together to celebrate and highlight everything that’s fabulous about where we live.”

And Stephanie Marshall, head of BBC West, said the event would be "celebrating the fact that the city of Salisbury is open for business after a difficult few months".