And as he shook hundreds of hands, he joked: "All I've got to do is get my lines right."
Wills, 28, made his unexpected appearance from Clarence House at 8.30pm, triggering near-hysteria from adoring Royal fans camped outside ready for today's wedding.
Casually dressed in a dark jumper and white shirt, he grinned from ear to ear as he thanked them for their support and exchanged greetings.
Cameras flashed, flags waved, champagne bottles were waved in the air. Some excited revellers wore fun hats - and two Welsh women were dressed as daffodils.
PRINCE WILLIAM greets well-wishers the night before wedding
Laughing William gestured to their tent and asked them: "Are you going to sleep here? Have you got a Jacuzzi in there?"
Scores shouted, "Good luck!" And William - followed around the forest of hands by his best man Prince Harry - responded: "You're amazing. These crowds are amazing. Thank you so much."
The groom's gratitude in the ten-minute walkabout mirrored a public message he and bride Kate Middleton, 29, sent out to millions of Brits earlier yesterday.
The couple said they had been "incredibly moved" by the nation's enthusiasm for today's Westminster Abbey ceremony, due to be watched by TWO BILLION worldwide.
The thoroughly modern pair broke with tradition by writing a note in an official souvenir brochure published to mark the most anticipated Royal event for 30 years. It read:
"We are both so delighted that you are able to join us in celebrating what we hope will be one of the happiest days of our lives.
"The affection shown to us by so many people during our engagement has been incredibly moving, and has touched us both deeply.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone most sincerely for their kindness."
The crowds at Clarence House, Buckingham Palace and the Abbey will be among an 800,000-strong throng expected to pack the route of the post-wedding procession.
Many lay claim to their positions or set up camp in "tent cities" amid a festival atmosphere.
Last night beaming Kate waved to a cheering crowd as she arrived at London's Goring hotel to spend her last hours as a single woman.
The next time the bride will be seen will be at 10.45am today when she heads to the service with her father Michael. But there is a chance she could be SOAKED when she steps from her limousine outside the Abbey at 11am.
Despite the unseasonal hot weather over Easter, rain and even thunderstorms could put a dampener on the wedding day.
Weather forecaster Alison Cobb said: "We can expect showers across London for much of the day. There is a chance they will turn heavy with local thunderstorms."
Last night it emerged Kate's wedding dress is expected to feature a long train. A source who witnessed her final rehearsal with her bridesmaids at the Abbey yesterday told how she wore "a fake skirt with a long train to walk down the aisle".
Wills will wed in the red tunic of the Irish Guards, of which he was made Colonel earlier this year, with a gold and crimson sash.
The marriage service - especially its music - will be deliberately themed around "Britishness".
And William's mother Princess Diana will be at its heart.
After taking their vows, the bride and groom will leave the Abbey to Di's favourite orchestral wedding march, Crown Imperial by William Walton.
It was played at the late Princess's wedding to Prince Charles in July 1981. And Wills and Kate chose it personally as a tribute to her.
In addition, the final hymn at Diana's funeral will be the first to be sung at today's ceremony.
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer, written by 18th-century preacher William Williams, also featured at a memorial service in 2007 marking the tenth anniversary of her death.
Prince Charles will be saluted by Wills and Kate, too.
Farewell to Stromness, a piano piece by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, is being included in the service as it was played at Charles and Camilla's 2005 blessing.
A St James's Palace spokesman said: "It's a personal touch - an acknowledgement of William's father and the Duchess of Cornwall."
Kate's wedding ring will be a plain, slim gold band made by Royal warrant holders Wartski.
Under a tradition for Royal brides, it was fashioned from a nugget of Welsh gold. The Queen gave grandson Wills the precious metal to mark his big day. He will NOT wear a ring after tying the knot.
Clarence House yesterday confirmed Kate will not promise to "obey" Wills during their exchange of vows. Instead she will pledge to "love, comfort, honour and keep" him, echoing the pledges made by Diana 30 years ago.
Clever Kate will be able to call on a secret stash of emergency aids to make sure she is ready for the vows and the following kiss.
Her 27-year-old sister Pippa, the maid of honour, will give her boiled sweets to suck on the way to the Abbey to prevent her mouth from drying up.
Pippa's handbag will also contain wet wipes, lipliner and a lip moisturiser so Kate can pucker up.
A Royal source said: "Obviously there is a professional make-up artist but Pippa will have a kit of essentials in her bag at her sister's request. She doesn't want dry lips when she is saying her vows in front of William and the world."
Kate will wear Creed Fleurissimo, the perfume Prince Rainier of Monaco created for Grace Kelly before they wed.
And The Sun can reveal her eyebrows will be "threaded," a technique popular with celebs including Angelina Jolie and Liz Hurley.
Two strands of thread are crossed over the desired area and pulled taut, cutting the hairs in perfect symmetry. It avoids the possibility of redness left by waxing or plucking.
Wills and Kate will leave for the Buckingham Palace reception in the open 1902 State Landau if the weather is kind - or the Glass Coach if the heavens open.
Last night Wills' stepmother Camilla agreed to give the groom, Charles and Harry some "boys" time and was thought to have bedded down in a suite at London's Mandarin Oriental hotel.
The Queen hosted a lavish dinner at the hotel last night for foreign Royals and other dignitaries.
But Syria's ambassador to Britain Sami Khiyami was absent.
His invitation to the wedding was withdrawn on Foreign Office advice to signal the UK's outrage at his government's bloody crackdown on Syrian freedom protesters.
d.larcombe@the-sun.co.uk
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