Windsor Castle sees tourist boom ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding

WINDSOR is already seeing a tourist boom ahead of the royal wedding.

By Isobel Dickinson, EXCLUSIVE / Published 31st December 2017

Record numbers have visited the town’s castle since the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day.

Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, are set to marry on May 19 in St George’s Chapel.

Royal watchers were last week queuing for up to three hours to visit the venue.

Windsor Castle GETTY / W8 MEDIA

ROYAL WEDDING: Windsor Castle has seen a tourist boom

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's engagement

Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, revealed they were an item a year ago after a four to six-month secret relationship

1 / 18

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after the announcement of their engagement.

“The queues were huge – much longer than they have been”
Source

A source said: “The queues were huge – much longer than they have been.

“As soon as they got into the castle everyone made a beeline for the chapel.”

A spokesman for Windsor Council said visitor numbers to some attractions in the town were up 40%.

Windsor Castle W8 MEDIA

RECORD: Big queues outside Windsor Castle

They added: “Windsor is high on many people’s ‘must see’ list but the news of the royal wedding is only helping to elevate it even further.

“It will be a while before we can evaluate the full impact of the royal wedding on tourism to Windsor but we do know hotels locally have already taken a lot of bookings in the lead up to and during the weekend of the wedding.”

After the announcement in November, prices for hotels in Windsor soared as high as £629 a night.