British coronation: Remembering Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ 2007 go to to Philadelphia
When Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles took to the streets of Philadelphia on January 26, 2007, it was the first time a Prince of Wales had visited the city in well over a century.
Charles’ great-great-grandfather, later King Edward VII, had toured Philly in 1860, before the city had widespread electricity or indoor installations. Conditions were far better for Charles, who spent his weekend seeing sights like the Liberty Bell, attending a glittering concert at the Academy of Music, and dining privately in his $2,500-a-night suite at the Four Seasons — all at the Services of an ongoing rebranding of its public image.
When Prince Charles, who will be crowned King of England in a coronation ceremony in London on Saturday, made the pilgrimage to Philadelphia, he was still trying to re-introduce himself to the world. He had married Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, just two years earlier, after a years-long and highly publicized affair with her during his marriage to Princess Diana, which had caused significant damage to his reputation. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996 and the beloved princess died in a car accident the following year.
Charles and Camilla did not appear publicly as a couple until 1999 and slowly worked towards their wedding on April 5, 2005, which was not attended by Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September. The couple’s first trip to the United States was through Washington, New York and San Francisco that same year. So the 2007 Philadelphia tour had a lot to offer, especially given the lengthy hiatus since the Prince of Wales’ last visit and the fact that, as the UK Press Association put it, “the US has traditionally been thought of as ‘Diana’ – Territory.'” The late princess was particularly famous for dancing with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.
Akira Suwa/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT/Sipa USAPrince Charles greets local well-wishers outside Independence Hall on January 27, 2007.
The royal couple flew commercially to Philadelphia and spurned a more traditional charter plane for environmental reasons – after his visit to Philadelphia, Prince Charles was due to stop in New York to accept an award for his conservation efforts. After resting, they came to town for their first full day of activities on Saturday, January 27th. One of the first items on the program was a tour of some Mural Arts projects in Philadelphia. According to the Inquirer, the royals even helped paint a new work at Heavenly Hall Full Gospel Church in West Philly.
Charles and Camilla also took a tour of Liberty Hall that day, led by a National Park Service ranger Larry McClenney. In addition to shaking hands with well-wishers outside Independence Hall, the prince delivered a speech at the National Constitution Center thanking the city for its “wonderful example of Philadelphia hospitality.”
It was also there that Camilla became acquainted with the statues of the Founding Fathers.
Akira Suwa/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT/Sipa USAPrince Charles and Camilla visit the National Constitution Center in 2007.
But the big event of the evening was the concert celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Academy of Music, an institution that was only a few years old when Karl’s great-great-grandfather visited the city. The royal couple arrived in formal evening wear, with Camilla reportedly sporting a $25million necklace. They shared a box with the then governor. Ed Rendell and his ex-wife Midge listen to Verdi operas and classical music.
Eric Mencher/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT/Sipa USAPrince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles attend the Music Academy’s 150th Anniversary concert with the then Governor. Ed Rendell and his ex-wife Midge.
Also on the program? A performance by Rod Stewart, who joked that the evening’s extreme formality scared him.
“For the first time in my life, I was a little nervous,” he told the Associated Press. “You know, it’s just different. It’s not the screaming hordes I get every night.”
The next morning, Charles and Camilla attended an hour-long service at Arch Street Presbyterian Church in Logan Square, an event with tickets, Welsh readings and lots of kilts. But then it was time to board the train to New York, marking the end of their whirlwind tour of Philly.
Judging by the reactions of the adoring fans captured by local media at the time, the trip was a success. Nobody danced with Travolta, but everything went smoothly – no slips or embarrassing photos and lots of good PR. Still, someone must have screwed up, because one thing was noticeably missing from Charles and Camilla’s packed weekend schedule: a stop for an authentic Philly cheesesteak.
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