Red-dragon flags greet Prince Harry and fiancee Meghan Markle in Wales

CARDIFF (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry and his American fiancee Meghan Markle visited Wales on Thursday on their third official joint appearance since announcing their engagement last November.

The couple have attracted huge attention since announcing they were getting married, and as with their previous appearances, hundreds of people greeted them in Cardiff, waving Welsh flags emblazoned with red dragons.

"Amazing, it was a dream of mine come true," said Carol Powell, 39.

Harry, 33, and Markle 36 heard performances from musicians and poets at Cardiff Castle before making their way to a community centre to see how sport is helping engage disadvantaged young people and promote their social development.

Harry, fifth-in-line to the throne, and actress Markle, best known for the TV legal drama "Suits", are due to marry in May at Queen Elizabeth's Windsor Castle home to the west of London.

"They were lovely and they were shaking hands with everyone and Harry was just having a chat with everyone so it was really nice," Angharad Akideinde, 18, told Reuters.

"Because they are the younger generation they are more modern. It's like the way they communicate with us as well. It is different to how the older ones would because they are more traditional I guess."

Markle, who intends to become a British citizen, said after their engagement was announced that she was looking forward to getting to know her future homeland.

(Reporting by Alex Fraser; editing by Michael Holden)