Prince Harry and bride-to-be Meghan Markle are ‘very caught up in the moment’ of their engagement, the Duke of Cambridge has revealed.
William, who is on an official visit to Finland, spoke of the joy his family feels for Harry and Meghan and wished them ‘all the happiness in this very exciting time’.
But he could not resist poking fun at the prince and quipped that he now expected his fridge to be safe from raids by his younger brother, who lives close to the Duke’s Kensington Palace apartment.
Speaking during a visit to a Helsinki-based charity, William said the family were ‘all very excited, delighted for them both and wishing them all the happiness in this very exciting time.
Prince William wished his brother Harry and Meghan Markle ‘all the happiness in the world’ after their engagement announcement earlier this week. It came as the Royal was on an official visit to Finland meeting the public at a charity ice hockey match
The Duke of Cambridge, pictured left and right having a go at the sport, was in the mood for fun and even quipped he hoped the impending nuptials would ‘keep Harry out of my fridge and stop him scrounging food’
Prince Harry and Meghan, pictured in their first official interview together, are due to marry at Windsor Castle next May
‘And for me personally I hope it means he stays out of my fridge, it will stop him scrounging off all my food, he’s done over the last few years.’
Harry and Meghan will be married in the historic surroundings of Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel next May and are planning a day which will ‘reflect their characters and personalities’ and be a moment of ‘fun and joy’, Kensington Palace has said.
Harry’s communications secretary Jason Knauf said the newly-engaged pair ‘want the public to feel part of their day’ – and are looking at ways to achieve that.
The prince and Ms Markle could be taken on a carriage ride through the streets as the Earl and Countess of Wessex did when they married in 1999.
William added: ‘It’s a fantastic process you go through, the engagement and the build up to the wedding and things like that.’
William spoke to the media at the hockey match, pictured, and said it was a ‘very exciting time’ for his brother and his fiancee
The Royal also took time to pose with players and staff from Icehearts, a charity that provides child welfare work through team sports
The Prince, pictured meeting young fans, said Harry and Meghan were ‘very caught up in the moment’ and said he hoped the wedding was successful
‘So they’ve got a lot of happy times ahead of them and I think they’re very caught up in the moment and I wish them all the happiness and success in planning the wedding, I hope it goes really well.’
Kensington Palace is yet to confirm the exact date of the nuptials, who will be Harry’s best man or Ms Markle’s bridesmaids, and how many guests will attend.
The royal family will pay for the wedding, including the church service, the music, the flowers and the reception. But the security costs for the high-profile celebration will fall to the taxpayer.
The Queen will be there, as will the rest of the royal family, along with Ms Markle’s parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland.
William’s children Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to take on the roles of pageboy and bridesmaid. The palace revealed that Ms Markle has met them on many occasions.
Prince William also took time to meet Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and present him with an official message from The Queen, pictured
He also enjoyed a reception at the British Embassy in Helsinki, pictured