LOS ANGELES — Bathed in sunshine and under clear blue skies, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived Friday in Southern California’s vacation playground. But within minutes of touching down, they were whisked off to work.
The royal couple had tacked on a quick visit to Los Angeles after a nine-day tour of Canada, their first foreign trip since marrying in April.
Aside from a game of polo in the seaside city of Santa Barbara, much of the couple’s three-day visit will focus on business and not pleasure. Instead of trips to the Hollywood sign or Malibu’s beaches, their itinerary includes some hefty fundraising for good causes, promoting U.S. investment in Britain and charitable work.
The newlyweds landed shortly before 4 p.m. in a Canadian military jet. Their arrival was a lower-key affair compared with the largely rapturous welcomes they received as they crisscrossed Canada. A small group of officials, including California Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife, Anne Gust, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., Sir Nigel Sheinwald, greeted the couple at the airport.
They climbed into a black Range Rover and headed for their first event, a technology summit in Beverly Hills aimed at promoting U.S. investment in British tech firms.
A small crowd of royal watchers gathered outside the hotel as the couple arrived, though the duke and duchess did not stop to speak with them. Attendees stood and clapped as they entered the ballroom and sat on stage alongside other panelists.
Neither spoke during the discussion, though Kate smiled when the panelists mentioned that attendees were welcome to visit Tech City. At the end of the panel, the moderator asked whether anyone wanted to talk. Kate nudged William, who shrugged off the opportunity.
