Fans Line Up as Troops Rehearse for The Big Fat Royal Wedding

A number of fans are spending the night near Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry will wed Meghan Markle on 19 May.

Waxwork figures of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

(Photo: AP)

Britain's armed forces on Thursday rehearsed the carriage procession that Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle are to make through the crowded streets of Windsor after their wedding this weekend.

Harry, sixth-in-line to the throne, and Markle, a star in TV drama Suits, will tie the knot at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, home to the British royal family for nearly 1,000 years.

After the hour-long ceremony, which will be attended by Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the couple will make a procession through the town's ancient streets on a 19th Century Ascot Landau carriage pulled by four Windsor Grey horses

Police are expecting more than 100,000 people to throng the streets outside Windsor Castle, the queen's home west of London and the oldest and largest inhabited fortress in the world, and have said there would be tight security for the event.

Here are a few photos from the hours leading up to the event:

Members of the armed forces ride horses during a parade rehearsal, ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in Windsor. (Photo: AP)

A carriage procession drives along The Long Walk during a rehearsal for The Royal Wedding in Windsor.(Photo: AP)

Royal fans wait to watch a rehearsal of the royal wedding in Windsor. (Photo: AP)

A royal fan waves a flag in Windsor. (Photo: AP)

A carriage is driven through the streets of Windsor during a rehearsal for the procession of the upcoming wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. (Photo: AP)

Waxwork figures of Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on a bridge over the River Thames for a media opportunity against a backdrop of Windsor Castle. (Photo: AP) 

Camilla the King Charles spaniel wears flags and decorations as she sits alongside Windsor Castle in Windsor.(Photo: AP)

A man yawns as he sleeps on the ground, spending the night near Windsor Castle.(Photo: AP)

A woman who spent the night outside Windsor Castle in Windsor stands inside her sleeping bag. (Photo: AP)

Armed police officers patrol in front of Windsor Castle in Windsor.(Photo: AP)

Two fans sit outside Windsor Castle ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in Windsor.(Photo: AP)

Mounted police officers patrol in front of Windsor Castle.(Photo: AP)

(With inputs from Reuters)

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