William, Kate dazzle on last leg of U.S. tour
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge dazzled this weekend in Southern California.
From polo to shining with the stars, Prince William and his new bride, Catherine, had a full schedule for their one stop in the U.S. - their first official visit to the States.
CBS News Royal Contributor Victoria Arbiter said on "The Early Show" the stop was an enormous success for the couple, as well as the British royal family as a whole.
Pictures: William & Kate wrap up California tour
"(The trip) really promoted their interests, put them right back at the forefront of media coverage, and so I think William and Kate can go home very happy, having also raised - early estimates are saying - $5 million for charity."
The trip to the U.S. included a polo match. William's team won, and the prince himself scored four points. A good thing, too, according to Arbiter, because William is a "terrible, shocking loser."
"He's very competitive, but he's a good player, he and (his brother Prince) Harry," Arbiter said. "I'm delighted to say his team did win. ... It was nice for us, because Kate was presenting the prize, the Tiffany and Co. cup, which meant we did get to see a little royal kiss. We haven't gotten to see one of those since the wedding day on the balcony."
"Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill said, "It did feel a little royal, though. It was the kiss on two cheeks. Not a kiss-kiss, (but) still very nice!"
Pictures: Newlyweds attend BAFTA gala
Pictures: William and Kate at charity polo match
Pictures: William and Kate arrive in California
The couple also attended an event for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, of which William is president. And the stars, for once, Hill noted, seemed star-struck themselves.
Arbiter agreed, saying, "Nicole Kidman was positively giddy at the idea of meeting the prince. She thought she might be too shy to even speak with him, but her mother was very proud she was going. The idea was to take 42 up-and-coming British artists, whether they were writers, actors, set designers and put them in among Hollywood's movers and shakers to give them a head start. And William is very keen to focus on the needs of young people and give them a chance in life."
The couple also visited inner-city children on Los Angeles' Skid Row, the homeless capital of the world. Arbiter explained that 30,000 at-risk kids live within a three-mile radius of the center.
Arbiter said, "William is so focused on the needs of the homeless -- he took on Princess Diana's patronage of (the United Kingdom charitable organization) Centrepoint. Much of what they do in city arts compliments the work of Centrepoint. ... Kate painted a fabulous red snail and William, he was asked to help with a giant red tortoise. He got clay all down his suit and hand prints."
Hill noted the couple also flew home on a commercial airline.
"People are often surprised to learn the royal family does, every now and then, fly commercially," Arbiter said. "They would have had their entourage with them, flew first class. They were in the front first two seats, and the entourage would have acted as a buffer between the rest of the passengers. But they're very proud to fly British Airways. And for Kate's mother, who's a former British Airways flight attendant, it's quite a nice full-circle moment."
Arbiter added, "They need to get home just like everyone else. (There's) no need for them to fly a private jet all that way when British Airways has a flight going in the same direction. It's another way to support British industry, which was the whole idea of this trip."