Harry and Meghan: Reaction from Brighton crowd

Ahead of the royal couple’s appearance at the Royal Pavilion, well-wishers shared their warmth and excitement for the royal couple. 

Abby Finch, 18, Eloise Porter, 18, Dean Wilks, 18, and George Paul, 18, said: “This hopefully means more visits will come. Brighton is a unique place in Sussex – there is not a lot of places like it in the world.”

Christine King, 74, and Jane Richards, 59, said the royal couple’s big appearance was ‘wonderful for Brighton’. 

“They are coming to the right place. Harry has got his heart in everything – just like his mother,” said Christine. 

Jane said: “I have got a lot of respect for him. When he was very young he perhaps did things he now regrets, but now he has really turned it around and has brought a lot of issues into the public domain – things like mental health, and the Invictus Games, he is really taking after his mother now, as is William.”

Lee Kenney, from Lancing, and Nancy Jackson, from Jamaica, who are ‘as close as sisters’, said the royal couple ‘needed to come down here’ and that they were ‘glad it was finally happening’. They added: “Both are good role models.”

Parris Stocken, 26, from Woodingdean, came along with her son Reggie, aged two. Speaking outside the Royal Pavilion, she said: “I am so excited. I love things like this. And they are young and up to date. It is really nice that they are making an appearance here.”

Brighton MET students Lilly Bushnell, Eleanor Kaye, Sadie Avard, Archie Repchuck, Connor Doran, Isaac Boxall, Zoe Biersteker, Evie Pope and Lily Bushnell, all aged 18 and 19, said they were ‘super excited’ to see the royal couple.

“They are really pretty together. They are a cute couple and very charitable. We like what they stand for,” they said.

“They care about what is going on and I think they will like it here.”  

Also waiting outside the Pavilion were Brighton residents Alessandra Carfora and her son Nicolas, 20 months.

Alessandra said: “I live very close and we come to the Royal Pavilion every day to play in the gardens. We have been here since 10am.

“I think it is nice, I’ve never met a royal in my life as we don’t have royals in Italy.

“We live ten minutes from here so it would be a shame not to come.”

Dianne Austin and Valerie Feniuk from Shoreham had also arrived early to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.

Dianne said: “It’s lovely they are visiting their county and I hope they will visit again.”

On Meghan she said: “I think she’s a breath of fresh air, she’s got good values.”

Valerie added: “I live in Sussex so we just wanted to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex! It will be very exciting to see them.”

She also approved of Meghan: “She’s so good for Harry. I think she will follow in his mother’s footsteps.”

Jane Slater and Pat Richards, also from Shoreham, said the pair were ‘tall’ and added: “They looked lovely. Diana would be proud of Harry and she would have loved Meghan.”

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