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Harry told the BBC Monday that his cottage’s close proximity to William’s and Kate’s apartment gave them an opportunity to better get to know Markle.

“And then William was longing to meet her and so was Catherine, so you know being our neighbors we managed to get that in a couple of - well quite a few times now,” Harry said of visits between William, Kate and Markle, whom Harry began dating more than one year ago.

\"PHOTO:
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
PHOTO: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Coach Core graduation ceremony for more than 150 Coach Core apprentices at The London Stadium on Oct. 18, 2017 in London, England.
>

William spoke about his brother’s engagement during a visit to an ice hockey rink in Finland, where he is on a two-day tour, marking his first official visit to the country.

\"PHOTO:Prince
Heikki Saukkomaa/REX/Shutterstock
PHOTO:Prince William meets young fans during his encounter with the Icehearts, an organization providing preventive child welfare work through team sports, at an ice rink in Helsinki during his visit to Finland, Nov. 29,2017.
>

The Duke dropped in on a @iceheartsry training session and shot a few pucks on goal! ???? ????#RoyalVisitFinland #Finland100 #Suomi100 pic.twitter.com/jjvBMrzAXE

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 29, 2017

Harry, who served as William's best man at his 2011 wedding to Kate, and Markle plan to wed at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May.

\"PHOTO:
Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images
PHOTO: Britain's Prince William arrives with his brother Prince Harry at Westminster Abbey for his royal wedding to Kate Middleton in London, April 29, 2011.
>

William wished Harry and Markle \"all the happiness\" as they begin their new life together.

\"It's a fantastic process you go through, the engagement and then the build-up to the wedding and things like that,\" he said. \"So they've got a lot of happy times ahead of them and I think they are both caught up in the moment and I wish them all the happiness and success in planning the wedding. I hope it goes really well.\"

Harry and Markle will take an active role in planning the wedding themselves, Harry's communication's secretary, Jason Knauf, said Tuesday, and want the day to be “fun” and reflective of their relationship.

\"The couple of course want the day to be a special, celebratory moment for their friends and family. They also want the day to be shaped so as to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too and are currently working through ideas for how this might be achieved,” Knauf said. \"This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the characters of the bride and groom.\"

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