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Prince
William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose with basketball player LeBron
James backstage as they attend the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets game
at Barclays Centre on December 8, 2014 in New York City ©Neilson Barnard
(POOL/AFP)
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America's
finest talent gave the warmest of welcomes to Britain's Prince William and wife
Kate late Monday, dazzling them at their first NBA game featuring basketball
legend LeBron James.
AFP reports Rapper
Jay-Z and superstar wife Beyonce chatted to the royals during an interval, and
James treated them to a breathtaking display of brilliance as he led the
Cleveland Cavaliers to their seventh win in a row at the Barclays Centre.
The
four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and double Olympian, met the royal couple at
the end of the match, giving them a Cavaliers shirt marked Cambridge and
another for their one-year-old son Prince George.
Nicknamed
"King James" and a player who overcome a tough upbringing to become
one of America's greatest sporting legends, said before the match it would be a
"huge honor" to play before royalty.
His
team the Cavaliers dispatched the Brooklyn Nets 110-88 in a lackluster
performance by the home team avidly supported by Jay-Z.
Five
months pregnant with her second child, the Duchess of Cambridge covered her
baby bump in a grey coat by billionaire New York designer Tory Burch and wore
her auburn hair gently waved.
The
couple sat courtside for the final two quarters of the match, were repeatedly
offered refreshments by waiters and flashed up on the stadium camera as the MC
called on the crowd to give them a warm Brooklyn welcome.
William,
dressed in a checked shirt, blushed and then waved as Kate smiled sweetly at
her husband.
- Courtside with Jay-Z and Beyonce -
Jay-Z
and Beyonce, dubbed Broolyn royalty by many, sat opposite them on the other
side of the court. The US music A-listers walked over to say hello and chat for
several minutes to the royal couple to deafening cheers from the crowd.
Outside,
protests demanding justice for black men killed by white police officers
continued for a sixth straight night.
Dozens
staged a spirited demonstration, shouting "how do you spell racist,
NYPD" and carried placards, hoping to attract royal attention and the bevy
of TV crews parked outside.
James
and other NBA players wore "I can't breathe" T-shirts as they warmed
up before the game in tribute to the protest movement.
It
was a starstruck end to a packed day that saw William laugh and joke with
President Barack Obama in the Oval Office before the couple met widely tipped
2016 presidential contender Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea in New
York.
The
royal couple's lightning three-day visit, their first to America's biggest city
is a mix of diplomacy, supporting their favorite causes and promoting British
business.
Second
in line to the throne after his father Prince Charles, William is increasingly
taking on more long-haul work for the British monarchy as Queen Elizabeth II
approaches her nineties.
He
sought Obama's support for his campaign to end illegal wildlife trafficking and
the president, reportedly an ardent admirer of William's grandmother, appeared
only too happy to oblige.
- 'You forgot to ask?' -
William
spoke to Obama about welcoming his second child with Kate next year, joking
that during all the excitement of George's birth, he didn't realize whether it
was a boy or girl.
"You
forgot to ask?" laughed Obama.
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US
President Barack Obama (R) meets with Britain's Prince William, Duke of
Cambridge, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on December 8,
2014 ©Nicholas Kamm (AFP)
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William
continued his first visit to Washington DC with a speech at the World Bank,
saying annual profits of US$20 billion from illegal wildlife trade funds
organized crime and armed groups.
"Cooperation
is our greatest weapon against the poachers and traffickers," said
William. "By taking a truly international approach, we can get one step
ahead of them."
Left
in New York, Kate spent an hour at a child development center, wrapping a
Christmas present and helping three and four-year-olds do art and crafts.
- Princess from 'Frozen' -
Dressed
in a US$1,000 black coat by British label Goat, she waved to well-wishers who
braved the freezing cold at the Northside Center for Child Development in
Harlem.
"They
thought she was the princess from Frozen," said Rose Ann Harris, an
administrator, referring to the wildly popular Hollywood animation as the
duchess said goodbye to children.
A
New York ambulance was dispatched to accompany her, reportedly as a precaution
for her pregnancy.
The
couple, who are in the United States without their son, are expected to fly
home as soon as their last function concludes on Tuesday night.
They
are staying at the Carlyle Hotel, where William's mother Diana used to stay.
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First
Lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
speak with children after a visit to the Northside Centre for Child Development
in Harlem on December 8, 2014 in New York ©Kena Betancur (AFP)
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Their
arrival has drawn comparisons with the 1985 visit made by Charles and Diana,
when the princess dazzled Americans by dancing with US president Ronald Reagan
and Hollywood star John Travolta.
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