NEW YORK - When he travels to New York City later this month, Prince Harry will be bringing with him a dash of old-world elegance -- competing in a charity polo competition surrounded by women in traditional hats and men in formal summer suits.
The 24-year-old prince will face off against another heartthrob -- Argentine polo player and model Nacho Figueras -- at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governor's Island to raise cash for the U.S. arm of Harry's Lesotho-based charity, Sentebale.
It will be the prince's first time officially representing the Royal Family on an international trip and it is his first visit to the United States since the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
The journey is in part intended to help ease the prince into his royal role, said St. James' Palace, the office of Harry and his older brother, Prince William.
Among the stops will be Harlem Children's Zone, where Prince Charles visited in 2007. The community organization offers family, social and educational services for adults and children.
Marty Lipp, spokesman for the group, said he is looking forward to again seeing the children bask in the excitement of a royal visit. Although royalty was a foreign concept for many of the kids, celebrity was something they all readily understood. And having a true celebrity among them was transformative, he said.
"The kids and the families were extremely excited and proud that they got to show off what they've been doing here," he recalled of Prince Charles' visit.
"They all wanted to shake his hand and meet him and talk to him."
This time, Lipp said he hopes the visit will be a true cultural exchange. Prince Harry will be accompanied by Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, the co-founder of Sentebale, and the pair will be learning about the Harlem Children's Zone programs. The children who meet the princes will also learn about the situation in Lesotho. Surrounded by South Africa, the impoverished mountain kingdom is one of the poorest countries in the region, suffering from high levels of HIV and AIDS.
Harry will begin the two-day trip with a visit to the World Trade Center site May 29. He will also attend a naming ceremony for the British Memorial Garden in Hanover Square, which commemorates the British victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and visit the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Manhattan to meet with wounded veterans.
He also is scheduled to attend a private reception in support of New York's British interests.
The prince, once known for his party-loving, bad-boy image, is expected to be surely be on his best behaviour as he's trailed by tabloid reporters and paparazzi around New York. Over the last several years he has found himself in public trouble more than once.
Earlier this year, he was reported sent on an "equality and diversity" course by the British army after he was recorded making racist remarks about a Pakistani officer. Harry apologized but said he had used the expression about a friend and without malice.
In January 2005, he apologized after being pictured in a newspaper at a costume party dressed as a Nazi and wearing a swastika armband.
