WASHINGTON, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Adoring fans of Britain's royal family packed into a royal wedding-themed pub in the U.S. capital Saturday morning to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials.
The royal wedding pub opened early on May 19 for a special watch party of the royal wedding festivities, which starts at a bleary-eyed 7 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) in Washington D.C..
Guests descended on the pub in fancy clothes while staffs at the pub served traditional English breakfast and special drinks with the wedding ceremony airing on televisions at the pub. Adoring fans wept tears of joy as they watch the wedding of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
For the boisterous crowd at the pub, all the settings look close to the real thing and make them feel as if they were in London on the big day.
At the royal wedding-themed venue, the walls are decorated with pink and white floral arrangements and the kitchen is being guarded by a statue of a Beefeater, the ceremonial guards that protect the Tower of London.
The pub recreates the interior of St. George's Chapel in Windsor, with hand-carved replicas of the wedding venue's fan-vaulted ceilings, stained glass and Gothic columns.
The back of the pub is transformed into a lavish red and gold recreation of the Buckingham Palace throne room, where royals traditionally have their wedding photos taken. This place is a heaven for selfies where visitors pose for pictures with a stuffed corgi, and a few cardboard cutouts of royals including Prince William and Kate and the Queen.
The pub also has a mailbox where visitors can send hand-written notes to the newlyweds. All the notes will be delivered by the British embassy in Washington to Kensington Palace.
The pub menu offers 10 royal wedding themed cocktails including a "God Save the Queen" modeled after the queen's favorite, "Markle Sparkle" and "When Harry Met Meghan" cocktails. British beers and wines from Markle's California hometown are also featured at the pub. The bar also serves a 5-U.S. dollar "Wedding Cake Shot" inspired by the flavors of Meghan and Harry's wedding cake.
For devoted fans coming to the pub, the idea of an American princess boosts their excitement.
Glowing beneath her light pink cocktail hat, Julianna Barr, a local of Washington D.C. told Xinhua that she's been a fan of the royals since childhood, and she's arrived at the pub with her friend early in the morning to fete the airing of the wedding festivities. She said that she feels "excited" that a biracial American actress was tying the knot with a British prince.
The royal wedding pub is the latest creation by Drink Company, a group behind other popular pop-up bars in Washington D.C. that included pubs inspired by Game of Thrones and Washington's annual cherry blossom festival.
Donning a Beefeater-style hat, Matt Fox, the special project director at Drink Company and member of the pub's design team also voiced his glee.
He told Xinhua that the pub is designed to pay tribute to the first American princess by creating a setting to fans who want to experience a little bit of the fantasy.
He said that he feels happy that people are having fun at the pub. "I am so excited to see so many people coming to the pub this morning for the special occasion."
