Royal Couple Turns to Art and Music as Sun Makes an Appearance

They came, they saw, they did lunch.

The Duke and Duchess of York delivered in a big way for the UK/LA ’88 festival on Wednesday, touring the work of British-born painter David Hockney before spending an evening at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

After Tuesday’s hands-on fun at a special-effects studio, Wednesday was hands-behind-the-back, Windsor-style. They strolled through the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, looking at Old Masters and old silver, before lunching with the Board of Supervisors.

Later, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, the couple, both 28, inspected British graphic designs, including detergent boxes, and British stamps, including one issued for their 1986 wedding.

The purple-clad duchess, hatless on the first sunny day of their tour, anchored her ponytail with three flag-shaped clips of red, white and blue stones that were probably rhinestones (but with the royals you never know): the U.S. flag and two British flags.

“Check these out,” she invited saucily, pausing for photographers.

Andrew, an enthusiastic photographer, and no slouch with a paint sprayer either, talked perspective with Hockney as they examined his paintings, drawings and photographs. In front of one painting, “Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio,” the Hollywood Hills resident gave them a book of his work, with a special drawing on the flyleaf.

At lunch, Supervisor Kenneth Hahn claimed partial responsibility for an incident during Andrew’s 1984 visit here, which palace officials would just as soon everybody forgot: when he sprayed American newspeople with paint at a housing project. The prince did not apologize, but his mother, the queen, paid several thousand dollars for the damage.

“I said, ‘All you have to do is pull that trigger and it works.’ And it worked,” Hahn recalled.

Today they are to visit a private school for learning-disabled children, and will spend a few hours aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz.

Damper on Fashion Show

A Tuesday night fashion show at the downtown Stock Exchange Club was marred for some invited guests. At least 100 gowned and tuxedoed guests were kept waiting outside in the drizzle for up to three hours, said one, Julie Reite.

“It was a mess. . . . Everybody was complaining,” said Reite, who finally got inside. People “just got fed up and went home.”

Fire Chief Raymond Olsen said the club operates with week-to-week permits, and the maximum of 700 occupants is reduced for special events, which require extra equipment that takes up space.

John Martin, the club’s operations director, said the maximum Tuesday was 597, and that UK/LA officials had sent out nearly 600 invitations--but organizers had not counted on the large entourage that trails the royals.

“We were trying to accommodate all of these (entourage) guests as well as work within the parameters the fire inspectors had given us,” he said. “What can I say? We did the best we could.”

And to those who have asked why Andrew was a prince the last time he was here, and is a duke this time: No, he was not demoted, in spite of those “Randy Andy” antics.

He is still a prince, but is now one of five royal dukes, including the dukes of Edinburgh (his father), Cornwall (brother Charles), and Gloucester and Kent (second cousins). Monarchs’ sons are often made royal dukes right before their weddings--especially nice for brides like Sarah, whose full title otherwise would be Her Royal Highness the Princess Andrew.

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