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Royals Charm Veterans and Spouses at Sony Studios

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wow the crowd at a military job fair in Culver City.

Greeted by cheers and a forest of mobile phone cameras waved aloft, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took the stage on the historic Stage 15 of Sony Studios on Sunday afternoon to recognize the work being done by ServiceNation: Mission Serve, a civilian-military initiative to celebrate veterans and military families as civic assets.

"This is the last event of our tour of North America and to my mind, this is the most important," the Duke told the crowd in his brief remarks.

William and Kate attended the event representing the Duke's personal charity, The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, which supports British military veterans. The foundation partnered with ServiceNation for the job fair for veterans and military spouses at the studio.

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Greg Propper, executive director of ServiceNation, said that when the job fair was being planned, it was known that the royals might be available to attend and the group had quietly approached several studios seeking a soundstage.

"You need a lot of space for an event like this," Propper said. "Sony was the first one to respond."

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Propper said that even before the royal visit was announced, the event had already recruited the more than 160 employers present and that the roughly 1,600 veterans and military spouses had already registered.

Lisa Bell, whose husband is stationed at Camp Pendleton, said that while the royals were interesting, it was not the focus of her day.

"To be honest, I'm really more excited about getting a job," she said, adding that she was looking for clerical work.

Although she wasn't hired on the spot, she said she was hopeful.

Kathy Roth-Douquet, founder and executive director of Blue Star Families, a support organization for military families, said that the Duchess was very gracious, and that it was important that Kate was there as well as her husband.

"Especially since she's a military spouse like we are," Roth-Douquet said.

Ron Hansel, of West Covina, spoke with the Duke and Duchess after the program and told them about his bicycle ride to raise money for homeless veterans.

"She said it was an amazing idea," he said about the Duchess' response. "They truly seemed like they cared."

The Duke and Duchess are now returning home after a two-week North American trip.

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