Excitement is building in New York ahead of the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Sunday. Prince William and his wife Kate will arrive in the city on 7 December for their first official visit to the United States since 2011.The royal couple have a busy schedule planned for their three-day trip, which includes a number of events involving issues "close to both their hearts", a spokeswoman said. After arriving in the Big Apple, William and Kate will spend Sunday evening fulfilling a private commitment to the American Friends of The Royal Foundation, which assists the royal family in promoting their philanthropic acts.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMonday will see William travel to Washington DC for a World Bank conference discussing fighting illegal trade in wildlife parts, while Kate will tour a New York child development centre with the city's first lady Chirlane McCray. The couple will be reunited at an NBA basketball game on Monday evening as they launch a collaboration between The Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife and NBA. Music royalty Beyoncé Knowles and Jay Z are also expected to attend the game at Brooklyn's Barclays Centre, and NBA bosses are said to be "beside themselves with excitement" at the prospect of their royal visitors.
© Photo: Getty ImagesBeyoncé and Jay-Z are expected to attend the same basketball game as the royal coupe
On their final action-packed day in the big apple, the Duke and Duchess will visit a youth organisation and an inner city youth development foundation to learn about how they work together to promote positive youth development and social learning. Afterwards, they will attend an event celebrating British talent in the creative industries of New York, in association with the government's GREAT campaign that aims to promote the UK internationally as a place to visit, study and do business. To conclude the trip on Tuesday evening, William and Kate are due to join Tom Hanks and scores of other famous faces including Mary-Kate Olsen and boyfriend Olivier Sarkozy at a black-tie scholarship fundraiser for St. Andrews University, where they famously met in 2001. The couple, who are expecting their second child in April, will then fly home to their 17-month-old son Prince George on Wednesday.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam and Kate will travel to New York without Prince George
Understandably New Yorkers are excited for their royal visitors; New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has praised the couple's visit, noting their charitable work and saying he'd like to "see how we can work together".
