There is a hot dog named in honour of the big day. There are crib notes on fascinators, Windsor Castle and how to fold napkins. There are last-minute preparations for slumber parties with bunting, scones, cucumber sandwiches and gin and tonic slush puppies.



The royalists of Los Angeles are ready for Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry on Saturday.

It will happen 5,000 miles and eight time zones away, but these Californians feel as invested as any British monarchist.

The wedding, after all, feels in some respects like a Hollywood production.

The bride is a born and bred Angeleno who grew up around film sets and found success on screen before falling for a prince, giving a modern, biracial sequel to Grace Kelly’s move to Monaco more than half a century ago.

Hollywood perpetuates royal mystique with period dramas, Disney princesses and, most recently, Netflix’s The Crown. The celebrity website TMZ, headquartered near the Pacific Ocean, leads the media pack with royal scoops, gossip and tidbits, not least the saga over whether Markle’s father, who lives 150 miles down the coast in Mexico, will walk his daughter down the aisle.

For all its English pomp many here feel the ceremony in St George’s chapel could carry a “made in LA” sticker.

“They say she’s their princess, that it’s history in the making,” said Dympna Madeley, manager of Ye Olde King’s Head, a British-themed gift shop in Santa Monica which has repeatedly sold out of Harry and Meghan plates, cups, sweaters and other merchandise.

The frenzy outstrips the fuss for Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011, said Madeley. “There’s much more interest now. We’ve had to reorder stock five times. We didn’t realise how many people would be pulled into it.”

Shoppers included Redgie De Guzman, 35, a bookseller, who loaded up on union jack decorations for an all-night party at a friend’s house which will climax when Markle says “I do” shortly before dawn local time. “We’ll watch it live. Go big or go home,” said De Guzman. “The next wedding will be, what, Prince George in 20 years?”

Redgie De Guzman stocks up on wedding memorabilia for a viewing party in Los Angeles. Photograph: Rory Carroll/The Guardian

The only wedding fever dissenter when the Guardian visited the store was Paul Bailey, 50, a British expat who was stocking up on Toffee Crisps. “I don’t feel it has anything to do with my life.”

Americans were far more excited than LA’s British transplants, said Madeley, the manager. “We think it’s because Markle is American and mixed-race. They don’t care if we tell them she’ll be a duchess, not a princess.”

Lisa Powers, who managed a neighbouring British-themed pub, said tickets for its wedding viewings sold out weeks ago. “It’s insane. A totally different buzz compared to William and Kate.”

At least three cinemas in LA will host screenings.

Pink’s Hot Dogs, a fast-food landmark, will offer a “Royal Dog” – two hot dogs and two bacon slices in a bun filled with mustard, cheese, onions, pickle relish and chili, wrapped in a packet congratulating Markle and Prince Harry.

Echoes of Markle’s past life in LA add frisson to the celebrations.

The Cat & Fiddle, a Hollywood pub and restaurant, will host a “royal slumber party” with fascinators, pyjamas, quiz trivia, sausage rolls and scones – and recollections about the bride, who visited about seven years ago with her then husband, Trevor Engelson, said co-owner Ashley Gardner. “He had a party for one of our mutual friends.”

The Rose Tree Cottage, an English tea room in the suburb of Pasadena, channelled Pygmalion when Markle visited last year reportedly for etiquette tips, with proprietor Edmund Fry, a British expat, in the role of Professor Higgins. Angelenos have followed in her wake. “We’re swamped, totally swamped,” an employee said on Wednesday.

Edmund Fry leads guests in a toast to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during afternoon tea at the Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena, surrounded by cardboard cutouts of the royal family. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

American romances with royalty don’t always end well. Passion for Wallis Simpson cost Edward VIII his throne and landed them in exile. Grace Kelly chafed at a lost acting career and died in a car accident.

Former teachers predicted Markle will adapt to the scrutiny, pressures and constraints of monarchy.

“As a student she was very bright, very intelligent, very engaged,” said Maria Pollia, who taught Markle theology at Immaculate Heart high school in the 1990s.

“I don’t think she has any fairytale dreams about the life. I think she’ll know that it comes with some pretty drastic changes. She is her own person but is very respectful of tradition. I don’t think she’ll be standing on tables trying to remake the royal family, that’s just not her.”

Prince Harry and Markle will focus on humanitarian projects, predicted Christine Knudsen, who taught Markle spirituality and literature. “We’re sure that after they get settled she and Harry will continue showing great heart and great conscience.”

The school, a private college near Hollywood, celebrated their alumnus earlier this week at a party with dancing, lemonade, biscuits and a corgi.