Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, sits next to four-year-olds April, left, and Sammy in a preschool class at the Northside Center for Childhood Development on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014 in New York.
President Barack Obama meets with Britain’s Prince William in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014.NEW YORK – Britain’s Prince William sat down with President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday and unveiled an effort to curtail illegal wildlife trading while his wife, Kate, made an impression of a down-to-earth duchess on preschoolers and prominent British expats in New York.
In the first full – very full – day of the popular royal couple’s first visit to either place, William went to the White House and spoke at a World Bank conference. Kate wrapped Christmas gifts and helped children decorate picture frames while touring a child development center with New York City’s first lady, then talked technology, theater and more with a British-success-story guest list at a lunch at the consul general’s home.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on their first official trip to the U.S. since 2011. William, speaking at the World Bank, announced a new task force to develop recommendations within a year on how the transportation industry can help stop wildlife trafficking, calling it “one of the most insidious forms of corruption and criminality.”
Meanwhile, the duchess and first lady Chirlane McCray met with families and heard about the work of the Northside Center for Child Development, which offers mental health and educational services.
“Very nice to meet you,” Kate told a classroom of 3- and 4-year-olds, who were embellishing picture frames with stickers.