ROLL out the red carpet, Hollywood royalty is coming to Southampton.

The golden girl of Tinseltown, actress Goldie Hawn, is making a special appearance in the city next week to sign copies of her new book at Waterstone's in WestQuay shopping centre.

It's the only stop outside London for the 59-year old actress as she promotes her autobiography A Lotus Grows in the Mud.

A popular box office star of the 1970s and 80s, Goldie first shot to fame in 1969 after winning an Oscar for her performance in the comedy Cactus Flower.

Since then she has become known for her leading comedy roles in films such as Private Benjamin and Wildcats, with her most recent screen outing three years ago alongside Susan Sarandon in The Banger Sisters.

The actress will spend 90 minutes meeting fans at the bookstore before she is expected to attend the naming ceremony of Southampton's latest cruise ship, Sea Princess.

Fans are expected to be queuing in their hundreds to catch a glimpse of the star, who has been partner to fellow Hollywood actor Kurt Russell for 22 years.

The unmarried couple have been the subject of Hollywood gossip since they met on the set of Swing Shift in 1983 and starred together four years later in the 1987 comedy caper Overboard.

Other career highs for Goldie include starring alongside Mel Gibson in the 80s classic Bird on a Wire and Bette Midler and Diane Keaton in the 90s hit The First Wives Club.

More recently, Goldie's daughter Kate Hudson has been stealing the family's Hollywood limelight with the Oscar-winning Almost Famous and romantic comedies How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Le Divorce.

The 26 year-old actress, who will soon be playing the title role in the film version of I Dream of Jeannie, also gave birth to Goldie's first grandchild last year.

Speaking of the excitement surrounding the event, Waterstone's manager Steve Boswell said: "We are over the moon by her visit as it is one of only two in the country.

"It is a fantastic coup for Southampton, WestQuay and Waterstone's."

Mr Boswell said that she would probably only be able to meet the first 200 people who make it to the bookstore.

"Normally authors stay all day to sign books but with someone this high profile there is only a small amount of time, so it will be a first-come first-served signing."

Southampton is used to welcoming celebrities to book signings, but this is the first time a Hollywood actress has come to the city since the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Clark Gable sailed from the the port.

GOLDIE will be at Waterstone's on May 26, from 5pm. Contact 023 8023 2118 for more details.