Chris Jackson/Getty Images(CARDIFF, Wales) — Meghan Markle stepped out with Prince Harry Thursday for their second official event of the New Year as an engaged couple.
Markle, 36, and Harry, 33, were greeted by large crowds of cheering fans and chants of “Meghan” and “Harry” in Wales, where they are celebrating the area’s heritage and culture.
The couple’s arrival was delayed around one hour due to a delay on the train they took from London to Wales.
Harry and Markle, who will wed in a castle in May, visited Cardiff Castle, an iconic building in Wales that dates back about 2,000 years.
They were presented with a Celtic love spoon, a Welsh tradition, by two children also named Megan and Harry, according to Kensington Palace.
Markle, dressed in a dark coat with her hair in a bun, and Harry will see performances from musicians and poets taking part in the Welsh Culture festival.
Harry and Markle are also scheduled to visit a local community center where an organization supported by Harry, Street Games, makes sports accessible to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They will also hear from another charity that seeks to provide sports opportunities for women.
Harry and Meghan visited a radio station in Brixton earlier this month and made an official visit to Nottingham in December, all in an effort to introduce Markle to different parts of the U.K.
Harry’s brother, Prince William, and his wife, Princess Kate, also met with well-wishers across the U.K. before their 2011 wedding.
Even though Markle is not yet officially a member of the royal family, she has already received an official gift, an apron. The apron — a joint gift to Markle and Harry — was received on their behalf by William while he visited Finland in November, just after Harry and Markle’s engagement was announced.
The gift, made public this week in the royals’ annual list of gifts received, is fitting for the couple. Harry proposed to Markle while they were making roast chicken together in their Kensington Palace cottage.
Harry and Markle’s wedding will take place May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Jason Knauf, the couple’s communications secretary, said the wedding will reflect the personal tastes of the couple. He said Harry and Meghan are excited to be holding their wedding in “the beautiful grounds of Windsor,” adding, “They will be making sure it reflects who they are as a couple.”
Markle, a Los Angeles native, and Harry are expected to incorporate some U.S. traditions into their wedding while preserving traditions consistent with British royal weddings of the past.
William, 35, is expected to serve as Harry’s best man despite recently joking that his brother hasn’t yet asked him to be best man.
William and Kate’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are also expected to play roles as page boy, for George, and bridesmaid, for Charlotte, the equivalent to a flower girl in the United States.
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