Prince Harry and bride-to-be Meghan Markle are “very caught up in the moment” of their engagement, the Duke of Cambridge has said.
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 to the Press Association 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.
“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.”
“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.
Meghan Markle during her visit to Rwanda (World Vision/PA)
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.