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Or, the people of New Orleans ... ?
Posted on 10/31/2005 1:11:44 PM PST by caryatid
LONDON -- Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will visit hurricane-hit New Orleans on their first official overseas jaunt since marrying in April, the prince's office confirmed Monday.
Charles' Clarence House office would not reveal the exact timing or itinerary for the flying visit, although the couple are expected to meet emergency workers and residents in an area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The 56-year-old heir to the throne, his wife and a wardrobe full of dresses jet off Tuesday on a tour designed to celebrate trans-Atlantic ties, promote Charles' environmentalist causes -- and test reaction to his new bride in a nation still smitten with the late Princess Diana.
"This is Diana country," said Lisa Stewart, a member of a band of devotees called the Diana Circle U.S. "We love Diana still."
Charles and Camillla, Duchess of Cornwall, begin the week-long tour on Tuesday in New York. They also will visit San Francisco and Washington, where they will dine at the White House with President George W. Bush and his wife Laura.
In Manhattan, the royal couple will unveil a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Visits to farms, markets, schools and museums will give Charles a chance to highlight issues close to his heart -- organic food production, the environment, education and classical architecture.
Aides hope the prince's first official tour of the United States since 1994 won't be eclipsed by memories of a visit in 1985 -- when a radiant Diana danced with John Travolta at a White House dinner.
"For a long time the (British) media has regarded the States as Diana territory," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. "But there's nothing to suggest Camilla won't get a warm welcome."
The prince's office says the trip is intended to recognize "the importance of the relationship between the two countries and their common bonds and shared traditions."
It is also part of a careful palace plan to win acceptance for the duchess, long reviled in the British press -- and among Diana-philes -- as the woman who broke up the royal romance. "There were three of us in that marriage," Diana told a television reporter in 1995.
Charles and Diana divorced in 1996; Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris the following year.
Since then, a careful series of joint milestones has helped soften public attitudes toward the prince and Camilla, whose relationship began more than 30 years ago, before either was married.
The couple's first public appearance together was in 1999; the first public kiss in 2001. In April they married in a civil ceremony. A poll at the time suggested almost two-thirds of Britons supported the marriage.
In deference to Diana, Camilla did not take the title Princess of Wales, and she has made it clear she wishes to be known as Princess Consort, not queen, when Charles takes the throne -- although experts say she will, officially, be queen.
The 58-year-old duchess has discarded a sometimes frumpy country style for designer dresses and extravagant hats since stepping into the limelight. British newspaper reports said that she was taking 50 dresses on the tour and that 40 staff would accompany the couple. But Charles' office said the true size of the entourage was 16, and stressed the duchess' clothes were paid for from his private income. Officials would not say how many dresses Camilla was taking.
The tour begins Tuesday with a visit to the World Trade Center site in New York, where the couple will dedicate a memorial garden to British victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. There is also a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a reception.
In Washington, the couple will have lunch and dinner with the Bushes at the White House.
Charles' office would not say whether the prince planned to raise the issue of climate change, which he recently called "the greatest challenge to face man." Bush's refusal to sign the Kyoto accord on greenhouse gas emissions has angered many environmentalists.
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What the hell does that fop and his consort expect to do in NO?
Haven't they suffered enough?
The residents should play that song "Battle of New Orleans" when they arrive.
Send him to Pakistan to visit earthquake victims.
And leave him there.
Look for a Heineken?
Hasn't New Orleans been punished enough without this??
You forgot the eye rolling alert.
I was about to call him a fop as well. I suppose he will effetely pose on the wreckage and blame global warming and American oppression of Islamists. Of course his jet-setting entourage couldn't be contributing any "greenhouse gasses" could they?
We already whupped your predecessors in New Orleans once, Prince. Don't make Gen. Honore go all Andy Jackson on ya.
Sorry, still a newbie ... just mastered posting images ... LOL
Prince Charles should avoid appearing in the same sentence as "dresses."
Come on, be nice. I have met him a few times. He is a nice guy with some misguided notions and values.
But what do you expect after a full life of everything at your fingertips, all the money in the world and your only roll in life is to wait for your mother to die.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify that. ;-)
Please; nobody throw this woman beads ....
This can only be driven by sick, morbid curiosity. They should not be allowed in. What a couple of warped pinheads.
I agree. Why don't they just pose for a few pictures in Washington and go back home?
Some of us are ignorant when it comes to the lingo (or maybe I'm the only one) so please define "fop". Should we assume the traditional meaning (persnickety, prissy, metrosexual type) or is it an acronym?
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