Prince Charles and Camilla Hit Philly and the East Coast

Jan. 26, 2007 — -- Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are making a whirlwind trip to the East Coast this weekend and are set to visit Philadelphia today.

It will be the first visit to the city from a prince of Wales in almost 150 years.

The couple is expected to arrive this afternoon and spend about 24 hours in the city.

When it comes to visiting the states, Charles is a frequent flier. Over the years, he has been wined and dined at the White House. In 2005, he introduced his new bride to the Bushes over lunch.

"It was her first trip, and she was really touched by the warmth of the reception," said Paddy Harverson, Charles' communications secretary.

Gone is the glamour of Diana. In the Reagan administration years, she stole the show, especially when she danced with John Travolta during one White House visit.

For this trip, Charles has dramatically scaled back his travel plans. There will be no specially chartered flight for the royal entourage. Instead, he'll fly on a regularly scheduled, commercial jet.

"A whole number of changes have been made to the way we go about our business, and the prince of Wales and duchess do their business," Harverson said. "Probably the most important one is travel."

The prince's travel regimen was changed because he wanted to reduce his impact on the environment.

After all, he will accept an environmental award presented by a kindred spirit, former Vice President Al Gore.

"I think he and President Gore, er Vice President Gore, are very much on the same wavelength about this one," Harverson said.

This time, they'll have something else to chat about. Both men may watch the Oscars closely.

Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is nominated for best documentary, and Prince Charles is depicted in "The Queen," which is up for best picture.

"Everyone always asks us if the royal family has seen 'The Queen,' and I think we'll keep that one a secret for ourselves," Harverson said.