LOS ANGELES (AFP) ? After wowing Hollywood A-listers at a star-studded dinner, Prince William and new wife Catherine got to see the other side of Los Angeles on Sunday: notoriously deprived Skid Row.
Wrapping up a 12-day north American tour, their first overseas trip since marrying in April, the couple met children taking part in a project which gives free classes in visual and performing arts to children from poor neighborhoods.
William -- who spent a night sleeping rough in London in April for homeless charity Centrepoint -- was invited with his wife to watch a show put on by the children, before leaving their handprints in clay as a memento.
"It is so exciting," said Cynthia Harnisch, head of Inner-City Arts, which runs the project.
"Everyone is feeling so uplifted that the most famous couple in the world are coming to their campus, are visiting their neighborhood."
The visit came on the third and final day of a visit to California which has seen the royal couple -- who arrived here after nine days touring Canada -- see both sides of LA life.
On Friday they helped drum up investment and trade opportunities for Britain at a media conference, before an evening reception at the British consul-general's residence, where they have stayed for the weekend trip and where the prince met famous British LA resident David Beckham.
On Saturday William and Catherine helicoptered up the Pacific coast to a charity polo match in Santa Barbara, where the prince distinguished himself by scoring four goals, and helping his team to victory.
"They're great role models for young people, they're elegant and great ambassadors for their country," said Santa Barbara resident Victoria Hines, 65, dressed up for the exclusive event an hour north of Los Angeles.
Then in the evening they got the full Hollywood treatment at a star-studded dinner in downtown Los Angeles.
William, president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), started the evening with a suitably Hollywood insider joke, saying: "I would like to thank Colin Firth for my perfect opening line -- I have a voice."
The reference was to the Oscar-winning historical drama "The King's Speech," in which Firth depicted William's great-grandfather's struggle with a stammer.
More seriously, the prince urged guests including Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman to give a chance to 42 up-and-coming "Brits to watch" invited to mingle with the Hollywood stars.
"Please give them the opportunities you have always extended to some of the brightest and best that Britain has to offer. When American and British creative talent gets together, magic happens," he said Saturday night.
"Let's continue the winning formula," added William, who with his wife received a Beatles-like reception in Canada last week, and who are hugely popular with Americans fascinated by the royal family.
Catherine has drawn admiring comments for her elegant style and dress sense -- -- she reportedly brought 40 outfits for the 12-day trip.
On Friday she wore a vibrant green Diane Von Furstenberg dress in the evening. At the polo Saturday she was in a silver and marble grey number by Jenny Packham, before switching to a flowing lilac dress by Alexander McQueen, and Jimmy Choo shoes, Saturday night.
Officially, the Californian mini-tour will aim to "contribute to deepening and strengthening the multi-layered links between the United States and the United Kingdom," according to a British official briefing.
Unofficially, all eyes have been on who they meet -- after David Beckham and writer-broadcaster Stephen Fry on Friday, Saturday's celebrity crop included Jennifer Lopez, Barbra Streisand and Jack Black.
Later Sunday they attend a job fair for military veterans at Sony Studios in Culver City, before leaving Los Angeles to return to the United Kingdom after their successful north American trip.
jose baez michael jordan neil armstrong atlantic city host christina milian wyoming
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