Royal Wedding fever hit Hollywood as a giant wedding card was unveiled on the historic Walk Of Fame.
Prince Harry is due to wed American actress Meghan Markle on May 19 and in the build-up to the big day fans gathered in the bride’s hometown of Los Angeles to wish the happy couple good luck.
A wedding card standing around 5ft tall and featuring a picture of Prince Harry 33, and Ms Markle, 36, along with the message, “happily ever after!”, was displayed outside the historic TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
Stop by the forecourt this week and sign our card for the #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/9DaB8jxGx0
— TCL Chinese Theatres (@ChineseTheatres) May 15, 2018
It will be outside the theatre, where celebrities famously leave handprints, footprints and signatures in the cement, for the rest of the week before being delivered to London in time for the wedding, organisers said.
Michael Howell, British Consul General for Southern California, was the first to sign the card and was asked how the American public has reacted to the relationship between Prince Harry and Ms Markle.
He said: “People have been really captivated by it. To a certain extent that’s always true, because they don’t come around too often and they are quite magical affairs.
“But this one has really captured the imagination here because Meghan Markle is an American. It’s particularly captured the imagination in Hollywood because she is from Los Angeles.
“And I think people see a real story of hope and romance in that.”
Alwyn Hight Kushner, president of the TCL Chinese Theatre, said: “It’s an incredible love story and from everything I have seen, people are thrilled and excited to see such a beautiful love story coming to life.”
Fans of the Royal Family queued up in the midday Los Angeles sunshine to write in the card and send their best wishes to the happy couple.
Of all the media events for this job, who knew the #RoyalWedding would get the most attention? (Answer: everyone). That is one HUGE card! pic.twitter.com/P5NTYbEDTp
— Matt Reents (@mattreents) May 15, 2018
Jason Copley, 34 and from Baltimore, Maryland, was one of the first people to sign the card.
He said: “I’m a big Royal fan. I just like their clean image and how they carry themselves. I think Meghan is great and will 100% bring the United States and United Kingdom closer together.
“This is the third Royal Wedding I remember, after Diana and then William, but I’m most excited about this one because my children will be able to see it.”
Mr Copley said he wrote on the card: “It’s all downhill from here”.
Newlywed Marcela Marques, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was celebrating her honeymoon on Hollywood Boulevard when she spotted the card being unveiled.
The 36-year-old said: “I am a big fan of the Royal Family.
“On the card I wrote that I wish them the world and I hope that they feel the happiness that I am feeling after getting married.”
Gregg Donovan, a 58-year-old tour guide, also signed the card and said his love of the Royal Family started with the Queen Mother.
He added: “We hope that Harry and Meghan will come to Hollywood and put their hand prints outside the Chinese Theatre. That would be a great honour.”