Prince Harry meets crowds in Windsor hours before royal wedding

Prince Harry meets crowds in Windsor hours before royal wedding



Prince Harry said he can’t wait to marry bride-to-be Meghan Markle when he met crowds outside Windsor Castle this afternoon.



The Prince said: ‘I’m really excited… I can’t wait’ when asked by Ms Ritu Dutt, from Richmond, if he was looking forward to his big day.



Harry met well-wishers outside the castle where he will marry Meghan tomorrow.



He was joined on a walkabout to meet the gathered crowds with his elder brother and best man Prince William.



Dressed sharply in a smart grey blazer with a pair of tailored navy chinos, Harry made a beeline for a little girl wearing a white dress in the crowd and said to her: ‘Are you squashed? Have you been waiting here long?’



Ms Patricia Cunningham, who was standing next to the girl, said: ‘She looked like she was in awe and didn’t know what to say.’ 





William also revelled in the moment, joking with one tourist who asked how being a father for the third time was going.



The prince quipped: ‘I’m not getting much sleep - but I’m sure it will get better,’ before being called over to greet more of the gleeful crowd. 



Another royal fan, William Edwards, 10, wearing his favourite football jersey with the name Lionel Messi printed on the back, said: ‘Harry shook my hand and I told him my name and he pointed to Prince William and said his name was William as well.



William came over and I said “Come on Villa” because I know he supports Aston Villa and I do too.



‘He asked me if I was going to watch the playoffs and that Fulham are a good team. He asked me if I was nervous.‘



The schoolboy, who said both he and his father were Villa fans, said he wished them well for the wedding.



Their walkabout outside the castle came hours after Meghan Markle and her mother had an afternoon tea with the Queen.



Earlier Meghan and Prince Harry looked giddy with excitement as they left Kensington Palace for the final time as an unmarried couple.



The couple smiled and waved to crowds on their route to Windsor Castle, where Prince Charles will walk her down the aisle tomorrow after she enters St George's Chapel alone.



Harry will enjoy his last night of single life with best man Prince William at Coworth Park, a five-star country house a stone's throw from Windsor and one that has been the venue for many a royal polo match and his first public kiss with Meghan.



Meanwhile thousands of fans, some of whom have slept there for days, have already gathered in the centre of Windsor ahead of the biggest royal event in Britain since William married Kate in 2011.