Charles, Camilla Visit Harlem

NEW YORK (AP) – Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, watched schoolchildren pick stocks and perform Shakespeare during a visit to a Harlem charter school on Sunday.The Prince of Wales, wearing a double-breasted blue suit and dress shoes, even shot baskets during a practice at the school gym.The royal couple arrived in New York from Philadelphia by private train and toured the Harlem Children’s Zone, which operates the Promise Academy charter school and a range of social services and programs dedicated to the betterment of Harlem.They watched a group of 10 middle-school pupils evaluate stocks as part of an after-school program that teaches them about finances.When Camilla learned that they receive real money if their virtual stock investments are successful, she exclaimed, “That’s fantastic.” (The children don’t lose money if their investments are unsuccessful.)Pupil 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 giving them a panoramic view of Harlem, including the office building where former President Clinton has an office and the Hotel Theresa, where Cuban leader Fidel Castro stayed decades ago. They then visited a health clinic where children, sitting at computers, learned about asthma.Charles and Camilla also watched a rehearsal of a scene from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and a basketball practice. Handed the ball, Charles dribbled and shot. His first attempt was an airball, but he made his second, drawing applause.One student player, Mouhamed Mbaye, 14, said the school was lucky to have a royal visit.“Others schools the prince didn’t (visit),” he said. “He decided to come here.”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.”Mr. Pratt said Camilla, who wore a brown coat with a beaded collar and leopard print cuffs, “is pretty.”The couple, flanked by security and officials from the British Consulate – as well as Representative Charles Rangel and New York Lieutenant Governor Paterson, both longtime Harlem politicians – visited for about an hour and a half.On Sunday evening, Charles was to receive an award for his work on behalf of the environment.Former Vice President 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 also 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, the royal couple visited Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, their first trip to the city where Americans declared their independence from British rule.The two waved to adoring fans on Sunday morning in Philadelphia as they walked to a private church service.Afterward, the entourage boarded the private train for New York. The dean of Temple University’s School of Education, C. Kent McGuire, traveled with the royal couple and several other Philadelphia-area community leaders.“The prince was gracious and engaged,” recalled Mr. McGuire, who said the prince talked about urban redevelopment and other issues his foundations address.Mr. McGuire said he was impressed that Charles and his wife didn’t just go to Center City Philadelphia but actually went out into the neighborhoods.“He’s very taken with designs from cities and neighborhoods 100 years ago and laments that we’ve moved away from that,” Mr. McGuire said.The royal couple last visited New York in November 2005, when they visited the site of the Sept. 11 attacks.The train in which they traveled Sunday is owned by Bennett Levin, president of the railroad car restoration firm Juniata Terminal Co. The carriage they used has served several American presidents, Frank Sinatra, British royalty and the body of Senator Kennedy after his assassination.___Associated Press writer Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report.

Charles, Camilla Visit Harlem

Charles, Camilla Visit Harlem

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