Turmoil fails to ruffle Waleses as America rolls out red carpet

ON DAY one, it was a royal racism row back home that threatened to derail the Prince and Princess of Wales’s visit to Boston.

On day two, it was Harry and Meghan. But the couple were determined to keep the show on the road as they turned out at Greentown Labs, North America’s largest “clean-tech incubator” climate tech hub.

The Princess chatted to environmental “game changers” at the site and an unscheduled walkabout at Roca, a charity working with high-risk young people, proved a savvy move as the couple sought to recapture the narrative.

Large crowds clamoured for selfies and a tearful fan told the Princess: “Thank you for everything you’re doing.” Ashley Langan, 20, held a sign saying “Welcome to Boston Your Highness” and was overjoyed that the couple stopped to admire it. She said: “It’s a dream come true, really it is. if I had told myself 10 years ago that this would happen I wouldn’t have believed me.

“I love them as a couple and the work they do.”

One woman told the Princess that she admired her work on early years development, telling her: “As one mother to another, we can always learn from each other.” Katie Lummie talked to the Princess and said afterwards: “She is such an icon for women.”

The couple are understood to have been caught unawares by the release of the first trailer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary.

While the racism row involving Lady Susan Hussey, the Prince’s godmother, was considered unfortunate timing, the release of the TV teaser is likely to have been months in the planning.

It is thought to have caused frustration in the Wales camp as they battled to keep the focus on today’s Earthshot Awards and their engagements focusing on communities and local people across Boston. As Prince William chatted to last year’s Earthshot Prize finalists, he warned: “For all of us the time is ticking.”

The couple also got a taste of home when a young boy dressed as a Buckingham Palace guard stood waiting for them. Henry Dynov-teixeira, eight, handed the Princess a bunch of red roses and said he was “thrilled” to meet the royals in person.

“I am going to scream and tell my best friend that I am now famous,” he added.

On the previous night, the Prince and Princess attended a basketball game at TD Garden, the home of the Boston Celtics, who took on the Miami Heat.

The couple sat courtside for the NBA match but appeared surprised when they appeared on the jumbotron during the second quarter.

They briefly waved, then chatted awkwardly, each glancing up at the giant screens to check if they were still on camera.