William and Harry to meet Star Wars stars on visit to set

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry will feel the force when they encounter Rey and Luke Skywalker on the set of Star Wars.

William, who has just returned from a tour of India and Bhutan, and his brother Harry will be shown around Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire by The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley, who plays heroine Rey.

They will also meet Mark Hamill - aka Luke Skywalker - and be given a private sneak preview of the set of the next film Star Wars: Episode VIII.

The royal brothers will chat with director Rian Johnson, and other members of the cast who are filming on the day.

They will visit a number of production workshops, meet the specialist creative teams and see the production process for some of the most famous props, costumes and creatures from the new Star Wars features.

The Force Awakens - the seventh instalment of the series - saw the return of original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Hamill and was the highest grossing film of all time in the UK.

The royal engagement is aimed at recognising the wealth of British creative talent involved in the production of the Star Wars films, Kensington Palace said. The Duke is president of BAFTA.

Star Wars: Episode VIII is due to hit cinema screens in May 2017. Benicio del Toro is among the new cast, along with Wild actress Laura Dern and relative newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.

Rogue One - the first of three planned stand-alone spin-off films - is due for release in December.

Ahead of the meeting, Hamill tweeted: "Meeting #Royals William & Harry! Finally- a chance to get an informed answer on whether being Leia's brother makes me a Prince. #LordLuke."