CBS News/ July 11, 2011, 9:51 AM

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."

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10 Comments Add a Comment
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formrusmcsgt says:
William, Kate dazzle on last leg of U.S. tour
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This is getting downright stupid.

They "dazzle" on their "tour"?

PUHLEASE.....
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ggd_shack says:
Southern California is not truly representative of the USA, hopefully they will be able to come and tour cities/people in the Mid-West --> by agnesdeo

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Nor is any other place in the US wholly representative of the country. LA is one part of the America but it is part of America. Face it, the USA is not solely identified by small town folk, it is a quilt of many different types of people from many different walks of life. It seems many people want to block that fact out of their minds.
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agnesdeo says:
Southern California is not truly representative of the USA, hopefully they will be able to come and tour cities/people in the Mid-West, who the support both the East and West coast people with our taxes and produce. They would enjoy Wisconsin's cheese and wine.
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ggd_shack replies:
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Nor is any other place in the US wholly representative of the country. LA is one part of the America but it is part of America. Face it, the USA is not solely identified by small town folk, it is a quilt of many different types of people from many different walks of life. It seems many people want to block that fact out of their minds.
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credibility2 says:
J-Lo was dressed like a street-walker at the formal dinner; she definitely showed the worst of the U.S. At the polo event, Molly Sims was dressed trashy. Interesting that a "disadvantaged" art school was chosen to promote the best in the U.S., inferring that the non-disadvantage can afford art classes or dancing classes. Why wasn't something from middle showed to represent the best of the U.S., versus the outer limits, such as celebrities and disadvantage skids? Those two limits don't truly reflect what the U.S. is about.
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StarinIN says:
I love the way the media dubs it "their Canada and US tour". A trip to Planet California doesn't constitute a US tour.

They appear to be a lovely happy couple. Why is it that them being happy bothers so many people?
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thoughtxchange2 says:
They both seem happy and I am happy to see happy people. I think the monarchy itself is very ridiculous and embarrasing as an institution and has no place in this modern world. I guess I just see them as ambassadors for their country. They both seem like they are good people just trying to live their lives. Doing away with servants and scaling things down certainly make them look much better and it seems like they genuinely want to serve in a humble way which is nice.
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Theowyn1 says:
It's not fairytale nonsense. Forget the royal titles and just think of these people as high-profile representatives of the British government here to promote mutually-beneficial business interests and raise money for charity.
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canislupus16 replies:
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finkfurst1 - a certain blood line. But apart from that, they seem to be trying to do some good in the world.
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unclebernies says:
With all the problems this country has we have no time for this british fairytale nonsense.
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