Charles and Camilla tour damaged New Orleans

By Kevin Krolicki and Russell McCulley

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Charles and his
wife, Camilla, climbed a New Orleans levee on Friday to see
firsthand the devastation caused when Hurricane Katrina
overwhelmed the barriers and flooded the historic city.

The visit, seen as helping to focus international attention
on the recovery effort, was one stage in the royal couple’s
tour of the United States, which also included a visit to New
York and a state dinner at the White House.

From the levee, the shattered panorama of the city’s lower
Ninth Ward stretched out before them, a scene of chaos that
looked more like a war zone than an American neighborhood.

Charles has said he will donate a $25,000 prize he was
given by a Washington institution for contributions to
architecture and urban design to help rebuild communities in
the Gulf Coast area ravaged by Katrina.

On top of the windy levee, Charles was shown photographs of
the destruction immediately after Katrina struck on August 29
and how the barrier was repaired by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.

The couple then walked down the steep earthen barrier —
Camilla in heels holding the prince’s arm — to a receiving
line of emergency workers and National Guard troops, praised by
the heir to the British throne for their dedication.

This is the first U.S. visit for the couple, who married in
April after being lovers for three decades despite being
married to other partners.

Celebrity-loving Americans had a great fondness for
Charles’ divorced wife, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash
in Paris in 1997. Camilla, a more matronly figure who is
clearly completely relaxed with the prince, has been given a
respectful but less feverish reception.

Red Cross worker Frances Barker told reporters at the
levee: “They were really gracious people. He just said, ‘Keep
up the good work.”‘

Their weeklong U.S. itinerary earlier included a stop at
Ground Zero in Manhattan where the couple honored victims of
the September 11, 2001, attacks, and a two-day visit to
Washington.

In New Orleans, the couple also went to a Catholic school
in the French Quarter where some in the 500-strong crowd gave
them traditional colorful Mardi Gras beads that they wore
around their necks throughout the visit.

Inside, they were greeted by singing students, one of whom
appeared confused about where Charles was from. “Is there a map
around here so I could show him where England is?” Charles
asked. Unfortunately, none was easily available.

While life is slowly returning to the French Quarter, the
historic heart of the city, and parts of the high-rent Garden
District, hard-hit neighborhoods such as the mostly black Ninth
Ward may never fully recover.

Charles was asked by one reporter what struck him most
about his visit. “Incredible resilience, despite awful loss,”
he replied. “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

The couple later were flying to San Francisco, where their
tour is due to end on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Deborah Zabarenko in Washington)