Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly flew on an economy flight to France to celebrate New Year's Eve

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly rang in the New Year in the romantic French Riveria region.
• According to The Daily Mail, the couple was spotted aboard a British Airways flight to Nice, France, on Sunday morning.
• The two were joined by three bodyguards and took up three rows of economy seats toward the back of the plane.
• Harry reportedly sat in the window seat with a hat pulled down over his face while Markle wore a black beanie and "minimal makeup."

After an eventful 2017, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly rang in the new year in the romantic French Riveria.

On New Year's Eve, the prince and his fiancée were spotted aboard a British Airways flight to Nice, France, according to The Daily Mail.

The couple reportedly boarded the 9:55 a.m. flight before any other passengers and sat in economy seats toward the back of the plane, next to the bathrooms. They were reportedly joined by three bodyguards, and the entire party took up three rows of seats, likely for security purposes. 

According to fellow passengers, Harry was "slumped down" in the window seat and wore jeans, a jacket, and a baseball cap pulled down over his face. Markle sat next to him in a black beanie and "minimal makeup." A representative for Kensington Palace declined to comment about the couple's possible trip following INSIDER's request.

Artens/Shutterstock

When the flight landed in Nice, the couple was reportedly whisked out through a VIP area by two "heavily armed officers from the French border police." Unnamed sources also told The Daily Mail that several members of France's elite Protection Service, or Service de la Protection (SDLP), were assigned to guard the couple during their trip.

These security measures were apparently not requested by Kensington Palace. Rather, they "would have been offered and would have been non-negotiable," an anonymous source told The Daily Mail. "It would be insisted on even for a private trip such as this."

But it's likely that Markle and Harry are used to this level of close protection. The couple, who will get married at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, are guarded daily by "armed and highly-trained" bodyguards. Former royal aide Alex Bomberg previously told INSIDER that this security detail is comprised of "elite teams of British Police from Royalty and Specialist Protection."

According to The Daily Mail, Markle and Harry celebrated the new year with friends and will stay for several days at a private residence in the French Riveria region.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.

NOW WATCH: Meet Meghan Markle, the American actress who's about to become British royalty