A MUSICIAN dubbed the Asian King Of Pop has staged a fairytale wedding celebration at a stately home.

Castle Howard, near Malton, North Yorkshire - best known as the setting for period drama Brideshead Revisited - is expected to see a surge of visitors from the Far East after Jay Chou's nupitals, which reportedly cost in the region of £2m.

In an unusual move, bosses of the 18th Century property and 1,000-acre grounds, which attract more than 200,000 visitors annually, agreed to closed it to the public all day on Sunday, while about 50 friends and relatives of the Taiwanese singer, 36, and Australian model Hannah Quinlivan held a party.

The wedding had been such a closely guarded secret that guests were simply told to fly to London and be prepared to catch a connecting flight.

As details emerged, it sparked huge interest in east Asia, with "Jay Chou marries" being searched 520 million times on Saturday on the Chinese social network Weibo.

A ceremony or blessing, at which the bride wore a crown and a necklace by French jeweller Chaumeta and string orchestra performed a tune composed by the musician for the event, was held at 11th Century Selby Abbey.

Guests of Chou, who starred in Hollywood movie The Green Hornet in 2011, were taken to Castle Howard where a rock band performed for them.

Guests revealed they had stayed at the 33-bedroom Feversham Arms Hotel, in Helmsley.

While the pop star is set to remain in England with his 21-year-old bride as his interpreter to shoot of the thriller Now You See Me: The Second Act with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, it remains unclear why the pop star selected North Yorkshire for his wedding.

He had previously told the media he wanted his wedding to be at a castle.

A Castle Howard spokeswoman refused to reveal any details about the celebration.

She said: "We have a few events that we close the house for, but we don't have many that we close the grounds for.

"Visits to the UK from China have doubled in the last ten years and are expected to triple again by 2020. "Castle Howard embodies an iconic view of England, her heritage and scenery: something which appeals greatly to the Asian market."