William and Kate set to dazzle LA

Los Angeles - Prince William and his new wife, Kate, make their debut on the world's largest celebrity stage on Friday with a brief California visit that combines the glitz of Hollywood with the grit of Skid Row in Los Angeles.

In a town stuffed with A-list stars, William and Kate already shine the brightest and their three-day trip to Los Angeles has sent celebrity media into a frenzy.

"We have never had a royal couple that have so much celebrity as these two. American girls are obsessed with Kate Middleton - what she wears, what she does and the fact she was an ordinary girl who managed to bag a prince," said Melissa Bromley, West Coast bureau chief of Us Weekly magazine.

Searches on Yahoo! for the royal newlyweds are up 354 percent this week, fuelled by their much photographed first overseas visit to Canada, the online search engine said.

And the California tourist board capitalized on the visit to run promotions for the state's castles, and other tourist attractions, that are "fit for a king."

Polo on the coast

In contrast to the flag-waving crowds and walkabouts in Canada, a Saturday charity polo match in the coastal town of Santa Barbara is expected to be the best chance for royal fans in California to get a look at the pair.

The only star-heavy event in a schedule that includes a visit to a Los Angeles kids' inner city arts project in the gritty Skid Row district, a meeting with military families and a new media trade panel, is a black tie, $25 000 per table dinner organised by the British Academy for Film and Television (BAFTA) of which Prince William is president.

The BAFTA gala on Saturday will bring 42 young, British, emerging actors, directors, writers and videogame designers together with Hollywood studio executives.

"The goal is not to meet celebrities. The goal is to connect young British talent with Hollywood decision-makers," the couple's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton said when the event was announced.

But organisers say there will also be a celebrity red carpet on the night and the guest list featuring "hot young things to Hollywood legends." Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman are reported to be among those with an invitation.