NEW YORK (AP) &mdash He’s a 24-year-old Londoner whose grandmother offered to pay for his trip to New York.
On Friday, Prince Harry will start his first official visit to America, with plans including a stop at the World Trade Center site, meetings with wounded veterans and a polo match. “Prince Harry is well known and respected in the United States for having deployed alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan,” said Alan Collins, the British consul general in New York. Third in line to the British throne, the red-haired prince is a much-watched member of the royal family on both sides of the Atlantic. His party-boy image, romantic escapades and brushes with scandal regularly make newspaper headlines. Several years ago, Harry had to apologize for wearing a Nazi swastika armband to a friend’s costume party. But the younger son of the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles plans, no doubt, to be on his best behavior representing his country’s crown during his two-day New York visit. His grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is paying privately for Harry’s travel and that of his staff, easing the young prince into his royal role. He’s in line for the throne behind his older brother, William, and his father, Charles. “It’s a testament to our loved ones that royalty from another country is coming and expressing interest,” said Monica Iken, who lost her husband, Michael, a 37-year-old bond broker.
“When Harry goes to ground zero, he can see how much progress has been made at this construction site,” said Iken, who founded September’s Mission, a nonprofit organization devoted to building a positive legacy in the aftermath of Sept. 11.