Prince Harry looks dapper as he appears at LFB carol service in first solo appearance since announcing engagement to Meghan Markle

Ella Wills5 December 2017

Prince Harry was all smiles as he joined past and present members of the London Fire Brigade for its annual Christmas carol service.

The visit came just days after Harry, 33, completed his first royal engagements with bride-to-be Meghan Markle.

But Ms Markle was not in attendance as the newly-engaged prince took his seat in the pews at Westminster Cathedral on Monday.

The popular event on Monday featured festival readings and Christmas carols for the LFB's uniformed and non-uniformed staff and their families.

The service was also attended by former colleagues who have retired from the Brigade.

Harry joined the festivities a week after he delighted the world with the announcement of his engagement to Ms Markle.

The American former Suits actress, 36, has captivated the nation since they revealed their nuptials on Monday, November 27.

The couple will marry at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle next May.

Harry and Ms Markle later visited Nottingham on Friday, attending a World Aids Day charity fair and visiting the Full Effect project at Nottingham Academy.

With Harry by her side, Ms Markle was introduced to her future role as a royal with a walkabout in Nottingham, where she made an accomplished appearance greeting hundreds of excited well-wishers.

The couple wore matching coats for their first walkabout in Nottingham
PA

The public meet-and-greet was orchestrated by the prince to introduce his fiancee to a city that he holds close to his heart.

Wearing co-ordinated navy blue coats, the couple enchanted crowds, showing their love by continually touching each other and holding hands as they met with eager royal fans.

They showed their support to the Terrence Higgins Trust, wearing red ribbons to show solidarity with World Aids Day.

Harry had Meghan by his side for his last public engagement
Jeremy Selwyn

Later they met with headteachers taking part in Full Effect, which aims to keep young people from becoming involved in youth violence and crime.

On Monday, a solo Harry was met by LFB Commissioner Dany Cotton and other dignitaries at the seasonal event.

Harry sat next to LFB Commissioner Dany Cotton during the service
PA

After watching the service the prince will meet some of the Brigade's frontline staff, firefighters and cadets.

This year, the LFB had to meet the challenge of responding to the devastating Grenfell Tower blaze, which saw dozens of firemen and women called out to the fire in June.

Police believe the final death toll is 71, including a stillborn baby.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in