Prince William, Kate Dazzle Hollywood; Head Back to U.K.
Take on Skid Row instead of Hollywood glitz
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, boarded their flight late Sunday at the Los Angeles Airport to head home after an 11-day whirlwind Royal Tour of Canada and the United States.
There were no big sightseeing day trips and no screaming crowds and loud protests along the streets in L.A. compared to the mania in Canada last week. The royal couple wanted it that way, according to the royal press secretary.
There were, however, a crowd of onlookers at one of the red carpet events this weekend, but "they were all well-behaved," according a police spokesperson.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Some Royal fans were actually wearing giant Will and Kate face masks. Big signs, British flags and hundreds of well-wishers stood along the sidewalk in downtown L.A. to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
The city of Los Angeles took measures to protect the couple's privacy from the paparazzi, as police enacted strict anti-trespassing measures to keep photographers and crazed crowds at bay.
The big difference between the Canadian visit and the visit to California was that the British Consul-General organized the “U.K. in the U.S.” tour of Los Angeles. The Canadian government not only financed the royal couple’s trip to their country – they also organized the events.
Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay said the royal couple skipped much of the Hollywood glitz to spend time at charity events close to their hearts and work on projects that “reflect issues important to the duke and duchess.”
Some of the big hitters in Hollywood actually tweeted a few tidbits of information about the couple while they were in L.A.
“The Cambridges dazzled everyone,” one tweet read.
"They are the most genuine, down-to-earth people I have ever met," Neil Stiles, the president of Variety magazine group who hosted the technology event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, told reporters.
Piers Morgan, a British-born anchor on CNN, described the royal couple on one of his recent shows. "In terms of pure star quality, William and Kate are the biggest stars in the world," he said.
"The impact they've had on Hollywood, which houses the biggest stars in the world, shows you that they are," Morgan said.
On the final day of their first Royal Tour, Will and Kate spent time with the children at the Inner City Arts Academy, an arts school for poor children.
The couple personally spent time with each of the children at the center, which is located along the infamous Skid Row deep in the heart of Los Angeles.
Here they watched the children perform music and dances, made handprint art and even painted some pictures of their own.
A spokesperson for the center told the media that Will and Kate “slipped on black smocks and sat in front of blank canvases to paint their own works of art.
“William turned to his wife, and asked her ‘Catherine, what are you supposed to do?’ Then the group of 9-year-old children followed his questions with a painting lesson for the two,” according to the center’s spokesperson.
Prior to Sunday’s events, Prince William and Kate spent their short three-day tour in L.A. attending a private reception at the British consul-general’s massive residence in luxurious Hancock Park on Friday night, a charity polo match in Santa Barbara on Saturday followed by a black-tie dinner with Hollywood executives, celebrities and British talent in downtown Los Angeles.
Nicole Kidman, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Garner, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks were just a few of Tinseltown’s royalty present for the occasion, according to media reports.
The Saturday evening posh event was entitled the BAFTA “Brits to Watch” celebration. The event was held to promote young talented British people working in the film industry.
Kate’s wardrobe changes did not go unnoticed while in L.A.
One news report stated “…the duchess, in McQueen, made a simple and stunning entrance with her husband on their first Hollywood red carpet.”
