[Mb-civic] CBC News - ROYAL COUPLE VISITS WHITE HOUSE

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ROYAL COUPLE VISITS WHITE HOUSE
WebPosted Wed Nov  2 13:28:07 2005

---Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited
with U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, at the White
House on Wednesday.

The royal couple is on the second day of an eight-day trip to the
United States, their first official overseas visit together since they
married in April.

They flew Wednesday morning to Washington from New York – where
they had visited Ground Zero.

There was no pomp or ceremony when they arrived by motorcade at the White
House. Instead, the Bushes were waiting on the lawn to greet them and
pose for a few photographs before the quartet went inside for a quiet
lunch together.

In the evening, Charles and Camilla attend a formal black-tie dinner at
the White House – a rare event under the presidency of Bush, who
has held only five formal White House dinners since 2001.

About 130 people were expected to attend the dinner, but the guest list
and menu were being tightly guarded.

Some analysts predicted the atmosphere could be strained between Charles
– a passionate environmentalist – and Bush, who refused to
sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and has allowed a number of
government environmental protections to be eroded under his watch.

But White House spokesperson Scott McClellan told reporters that Bush
wouldn't regard any topic as being off-limits during the visit. "He's
glad to talk about whatever issues Prince Charles may want to bring up."


The royal couple will spend three days in Washington before travelling to
New Orleans, where they will meet with aid workers and people who
survived hurricane Katrina in August.

Charles will wind up the visit in San Francisco, where he will make a
speech on the environment.



The prince's office has said the trip would focus on "the importance of
the relationship between the two countries and their common bonds and
shared traditions."

Royal watchers have speculated that it's also part of the Royal Family's
public-relations campaign to win acceptance for Camilla in a country that
embraced the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

The White House was the scene of one of the most memorable Diana events
– her 1985 twirl around the dance floor with actor John Travolta
during a dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan.

Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Charles and Camilla,
whom the late princess once described as the "third member" of her
marriage, made their first public appearance two years later.

The pair were discouraged from visiting Canada during their North
American jaunt because of the precarious position of the Liberal minority
government.

Prime Minister Paul Martin said officials were concerned the visit could
coincide with a possible fall election call, sparked by the Gomery report
into the federal sponsorship scandal.

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