AP/ February 11, 2009, 5:26 PM

Royal Couple Takes A Bite Of The Apple

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrived in New York on Sunday afternoon and toured a charter school in Harlem.

The royal couple arrived from Philadelphia by private train and toured the Promise Academy, where they visited an after-school program that teaches middle-school students about finances.

When Camilla, sitting at a table with about 10 children, learned that they receive real money if their virtual stock investments are successful, she exclaimed, "That's fantastic." (The children do not lose money if their investments are unsuccessful.)

Tiffany Vargas, 13, asked Charles if his multimillion-dollar line of organic foods, Duchy Originals, was on the stock market.

"No," he told her, "it's still a private company. We haven't got quite to that stage yet."

Afterward, the couple went on a terrace to get a panoramic view of Harlem, including the office building where former President Bill Clinton has an office and the Hotel Theresa, where Cuban leader Fidel Castro stayed decades ago.

Charles and Camilla also watched a rehearsal for a Shakespeare play and a basketball practice. Charles, wearing a blue double-breasted blue suit, blue shirt and striped tie, attempted two shots. He missed the first but made the second, drawing applause.

One student player, Mouhamed Mbaye, 14, said the school was lucky to have a royal visit.

Arona Pratt, the mother of another player, said: "I think it's great. My son was up all night waiting for this. They looked much nicer in person than they do on TV."

On Sunday evening, former Vice President Al Gore was to present Charles with the Global Environmental Citizen Award, given by the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. The prince was expected to give a speech.

While Charles has won kudos from environmentalists for his calls to action on global warming, British environmentalists have said the prince should have abstained from flying to the United States. In response, Charles' office said it would cancel a skiing trip to Switzerland, a gesture that would reduce his carbon footprint — the carbon dioxide created by his travels.

Earlier in the weekend, the royal couple visited Philadelphia's Independence Hall, their first trip to the city where Americans declared their independence from British rule.

The royal couple last visited New York in November 2005, when they visited the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The train carriage they used has served several U.S. presidents, Frank Sinatra, British royalty and the body of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy after his assassination.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
16 Comments Add a Comment
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bmsbms29 says:
I still don't understand why so many seem to have accepted Prince Charles' 2nd wife. And even him after the way he treated Princess Di!!
I guess it is to be expected - look how the U.S. looked the other way when Clinton's affairs came to light. But Bill did not steal $$ alone - his wife, Hillary was a part of the Savings & Loan disasters - yet so many still want her as president. - Please..............wake up, America!
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lindu813 says:
MY COMMENT WAS DIRECTED TO bildooreilly

How can anyone back this woman and cheer for them when they have disgraced not only the Church but our society... He is suposed to represent the Anglican Church and he horses around with Camilla while still married to someone else and the people cheer him???
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lindu813 says:
tell us what ur thoughts r on the good ole USA citizen, Bill Clinton...LOL
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j-whitman says:
I wonder why Bush isn't there holding hands like he does the Saudi's ??
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darkfyreaol says:
Since I've been a child, I've been exposed to news about the royal family. Charles meeting Di, their children growing up, etc etc.

I've come to the conclusion that a prince marrying another of royal lineage has almost no tangible impact on the world.

So why is it front page news?
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candojj1 says:
Did they visit Rikers? How bout they get a frigin job? How bout she gets some spunk in the bum?
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bill-e-bong says:
I must admit I'm a closet fan of the royals. I don't agree with or condone everything they do, but even with all their bug-a-boos, they seem to be much more mentally stable than some of the folks that run our country. Yes, I know they don't actually "run" Britain, but they're fun to watch.
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bildooreilly says:
I can't believe how pathetic some americans have become, drooling over these english inbreds, standing out in the cold for hours to see them, just hoping they'll get the chance to kiss some royal hiney, what a bunch of fools, how embarrasing, our nations founders must be proud.
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bildooreilly says:
You know how these rich people maintain their royal bloodline don't you? Incest, that's how, inbreeding and close intergenerational breeding with other rich inbred families. That's how they keep their blood "royal." Do some research and tell me if I'm wrong. Camilla here is rumored to be his 1st or 2nd cousin through an affair (a way they often hide their true inbred bloodlines) and is without a doubt a more distant cousin. Princess Diana also came from another one of these inbred families her father was some sort of duke or some ***. They were probably related as well.. they belong in a trailer park instead of a castle.
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bildooreilly says:
The english royal inbreds are coming, the english royal inbreds are coming.

~bildo revere
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