Taipei, April 29 (CNA) British expatriates in Taiwan got together in a "street party-style" event Friday to watch live coverage of the wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton "with excitement and joy."
They were happy with the arrangement, even though the party was actually held on the 26th floor, instead of on the street level.
Members of the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (BCCT) and staff of the British Trade and Commerce Office (BTCO) arrived at the party dressed in red, white and blue -- the colors of the Union Jack, Britain's national flag -- with some even wearing traditional Scottish kilts, where they were riveted to a giant television screen showing satellite images from London's Westminster Abbey.
The event, co-organized by the BCCT and BTCO, the representative office of the United Kingdom in Taiwan, featured British food such as fish and chips and shepherd's pie, in a traditional street party-style celebration.
"In the U.K., people close the street and set up long tables in the middle of the road (to celebrate.) They have cakes, chocolates and jelly for their children. We're trying to create something similar... We're happy to bring this tradition to Taiwan, " said BTCO Director David Campbell, who was sporting a Union Jack vest.
"But we're having it here (on the 26th floor) so we won't disrupt traffic, " Campbell said.
The huge interest generated by the wedding is not surprising, the top U.K. diplomat in Taiwan said, because "people have followed Prince William from the day he was born."
"But at the end of the day, it's about a man and a woman falling in love and getting married, " he said, adding that Friday will be a wonderful day not just for the British but for people around the world.
The local media has also taken great interest in what is arguably the most anticipated royal wedding since the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana Spencer -- Prince William's parents -- in 1981.
Sanli TV, CtiTV, ETTV and Next TV have sent journalists to London to broadcast the wedding live from Westminster Abbey, according to the director. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J