William and Kate hit the mark with stars in California - BBC

9 July 2011 Last updated at 23:08 ET
Prince William scores at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club

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Prince William scores at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club

Prince William has scored four goals at a charity polo match in California, in the latest stage of his first foreign tour as a newly-wed.

The match is one of a series of British-themed events attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They have now joined Hollywood stars for a Bafta black-tie recepton.

Earlier they were reunited with famous friends David Beckham and Stephen Fry.

The California trip follows a nine-day visit to Canada by the royals.

They drew a celebrity crowd at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club to raise millions of dollars for good causes for the club's centenary.

Guests paid anything from $400 (250) to $4,000 for the privilege of watching the prince, who helped his side to victory wearing the number 4 jersey.

The duchess drew compliments for her fashion sense, with actress Rosario Dawson calling her style "effortless and elegant".

The first event of the three-day visit was a UK Trade & Investment show focused on new media, followed by a reception at the British consul-general's residence.

The couple are staying at the residence. On their arrival, cheering residents lined the streets to greet them.

Five helicopters flew noisily above the residence as American media tried to get a glimpse of the couple.

Green silk gown

The duke and duchess were joined by about 200 guests at the drinks and canape reception in the garden of the residence, chatting to people around the pool and at tables that had been set up in the garden.

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image of Peter Hunt At the scene Peter Hunt Royal correspondent

Prince William and his wife are mixing pleasure with serious fundraising among the seriously rich on the American Riviera close to the Pacific Ocean.

Polo is an elite sport for the wealthy. This match was played for charity.

The duke and the duchess walked to a lunch along a red carpet which would not have looked out of place in Buckingham Palace. He seemed slight self-conscious to be receiving a welcome normally reserved for film stars.

Here in California, which is awash with celebrities, people have paid several thousand dollars to rub shoulders with William and Kate.

After polo, royalty and Hollywood will truly collide at a Bafta reception. Stars like Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman will be there. It is being held to promote young talented British people working in the film industry.

Guests included people associated with the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and senior staff from the charity Centrepoint, which has the Duke as patron, who are in Los Angeles for the royal couple's visit to the organisation's Inner-City Arts this weekend.

Kate wore a green silk gown by the American designer Diane Von Furstenberg for the event.

After the event, Fry tweeted: "Entirely charming evening at the British Consulate here in LA. The Cambridges dazzled everyone."

"They are the most genuine, down-to-earth people I have ever met," said Neil Stiles, the president of Variety magazine group who hosted the technology event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

William and Kate are to visit a community arts organisation working in the deprived Skid Row area of the city, as well as a jobs fair staged by charities that support the reintegration of servicemen and women into civilian life.

Speaking shortly ahead of the couple's arrival, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Britain's ambassador to the US, said: "They have had a fantastically successful trip to Canada and they will have a great welcome in California.

"They will meet a huge range of people from the governor to people working in the projects of Skid Row. They will get a good snapshot of life in this part of California."

The city has taken measures to protect their privacy from the paparazzi, as police have enacted strict anti-trespassing measures to keep photographers at bay.


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