Prince Harry and Meghan Markle greet crowds on Cardiff visit after train delayed by track fault

Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle have arrived in Cardiff to celebrate the people, culture and heritage of Wales - around an hour late due to a train delay.

The US actress will get another taste of her future life as a member of the monarchy on their Welsh away-day with a walkabout outside Cardiff Castle.

The smiling couple shook hands with dignitaries at Cardiff Castle as they began their day of engagements in the city.

The Prince and the former actress, whose train was delayed due to a track fault, waved at the crowds and greeted well-wishers. 

Harry is taking his American bride-to-be on a tour of the UK's towns and cities in the months leading up to their wedding to introduce her to new home.

The Cardiff visit follows on from successful visits the pair have made to Nottingham and Brixton in south London.

Inside the castle, Cardiff's landmark building with a history dating back over 1,000 years, the couple will tour a Welsh culture festival.

They will hear performances from musicians and poets, meet leading sportsmen and women, and see how organisations are working to promote the Welsh language and cultural identity.

The prince and Ms Markle will then travel on to Star Hub, a community and leisure centre in the Tremorfa area of the city to see how sport is being used to engage young people and aid social development.

Later they will see how StreetGames, a delivery partner of Sport Wales and the Welsh Government and an organisation with which Harry has worked, is helping to make sport accessible to all young people, regardless of their social circumstances.

It does this by supporting and establishing over 1,000 local organisations around the UK to deliver doorstep sport in disadvantaged communities.

During their visit the couple will meet young people taking part in various doorstep sessions, including street dance and table tennis.

They will also meet young women involved with the UsGirls project, set up with the aim of encouraging female participation in sports across the UK and tackling the barriers that prevent many girls and young women from taking part in physical activity.

Fans arrive from 7am to glimpse Harry and Meghan

Royal well-wishers began arriving as early as 7am at Cardiff Castle.

June Haws, from Llandaff, Cardiff, brought Harry and Ms Markle a Welsh Love Spoon made from pewter to celebrate their upcoming wedding.

The custom of carving and giving Love Spoons dates back centuries in Wales, with young men gifting them as a token of their affection.

"It is engraved with a Welsh dragon, daffodils and wedding bells," Mrs Haws said.

"Prince Harry has always been special to the people who have lived through the Diana years, as I have. I just want to see him happy, and to see her. It is a great atmosphere here."

Eleanor Davies, 63, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, said: "I've seen other members of the royal family before but not Harry. It is so exciting to have them in Wales."

Iris Bishop, 60, Linda Nubert, 67, and Pamela Lloyd, 68, all from Cardiff, held a Welsh flag and wore dragon brooches for the visit.

"I think it is lovely that they thought to come here before their marriage," Mrs Bishop said. "It is an early gift for us. We are big royal fans."

Camilla the 10-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel wore a headband with American flags on, as well as a veil, to meet Harry and his bride-to-be.

"It is wonderfully exciting," Anne Dale, 60, said. "I just can't wait to meet them and Camilla will see them too. They just look lovely together."

Julie Feehan, 50, is throwing her son Gregory a royal-wedding themed 18th birthday party - as his birthday falls on May 19.

"We're having a big celebration and dressing up for the occasion," Mrs Feehan said.

"Gregory wants to go out with the boys but has to do this first. It's so exciting that it falls on the same day."

'All the stars were aligned': How the couple met

After announcing their engagement, the couple gave an insight into their 16-month romance in a BBC interview - and described how they met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

Ms Markle told how she could not wait to say "yes" to the prince when Harry got down on one knee a few weeks ago as they cooked a roast chicken dinner at his home, Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.

Indicating the depths of his feeling for his bride-to-be, Prince Harry said: "The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was sort of confirmation to me that everything, all the stars were aligned, everything was just perfect.

"It was this beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life." 

Full interview: Harry and Meghan reveal engagement joy

A few months into the relationship, Harry said he had to have "some pretty frank conversations" with Meghan about how her life may change when she entered the royal family.

He added: "But I know that at the end of the day she chooses me, and I choose her, and therefore whatever we have to tackle together or individually we'll always be us together as a team, so I think she's capable... she's capable of anything."

The couple disclosed that Ms Markle had met the Queen twice, an individual she described as an "incredible woman".

The former Suits star was also a big hit with the Queen's beloved corgis, with the prince joking: "I've spent the last 33 years being barked at; this one walks in, absolutely nothing..."