Princes visit home of 'The King'

Onlookers take pictures of SUVs believed to carry Princes William and Harry as they depart Elvis...
Onlookers take pictures of SUVs believed to carry Princes William and Harry as they depart Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Amy Harp looks on as son Danny Harp holds a Union Jack at the entrance to the Memphis Hunt and...
Amy Harp looks on as son Danny Harp holds a Union Jack at the entrance to the Memphis Hunt and Polo Club where they hoped to catch sight of the princes. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Saturday was royal wedding time in Tennessee.

No, Harry didn't find a sweet Southern belle to marry - but he was in town for the nuptials of his pal Guy Pelly, who tied the knot with a native Memphian, Holiday Inn heiress Lizzy Wilson, on Saturday evening.

The wedding ceremony took place at the Memphis Hunt & Polo Club in east Memphis, not far from the private residence where Prince William and Prince Harry are staying for the weekend.

Royal fan Danny Harp, 15, travelled from Nashville and staked out his spot outside the Hunt & Polo club around noon, complete with Union Jack flag and a souvenir book from Will and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding. "It's very exciting to see these people who are seas away normally this close to home," he explains.

Laura Fenton, 27, and her mother, Rochelle, 58, decided to re-purpose their Kentucky Derby hats as wedding attire and join the crowd. But this is not their first royal rodeo.

"For William and Kate's wedding, we got up at 3am and had a party," recalls Laura. "We had fancy china and my mom printed off the royal schedule of events." Rochelle chimes in: "I made tea sandwiches and we bought a little cake with a bride topper." They weren't expecting to see much - "probably just the black SUVs and the motorcade," predicted Laura, "but that's closer than we would ever be to British royalty."

Tomeeka White, 40, who watched the princes grow up, admitted she'd been "kinda, sorta" stalking them during their time in Memphis, saying, "I want to see them - just a glimpse."

Excitement - and the sound of camera shutters - reached a fever pitch each time one of those big black SUVs pulled up in front of the venue. But by the time the vintage car carrying the bride arrived, onlookers figured the princes had already slipped past them.

According to The Daily Mail, the reception following the nuptials was a costume party featuring guests dressed up in fancy gear. Entertainment for the evening was provided by The Jimmy Church Band.

The wedding ceremony followed days of pre-nuptial celebrations, including a dinner Thursday night for 175 guests at the city's most famous BBQ joint, Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous, and a private tour of Graceland, which the princes and a large group of wedding guests enjoyed Friday.

The brothers' cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were also in Memphis for the wedding. They spent Thursday night drinking on Beale Street with friends from the bride and groom's inner circle.

The royals' presence in Memphis has drawn some excitement from locals, though nothing close to the mania surrounding William and Kate's wedding or the birth of their son, Prince George, last summer.

Still, it's an exciting change of pace in the Tennessee town, says Rebecca Adams, who stood outside the Rendezvous on Thursday night with her husband, Zane, to catch a glimpse of the princes.

"It's once in a lifetime," she says. "We're in the presence of the royals."

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