Prince Charles pronounced himself "still here" and "alive" Wednesday on his arrival at the White House for a visit showing off his new bride, Camilla. The Duchess of Cornwall, hoping to impress American Diana-philes on her first overseas trip as a British royal, was decidedly more enthusiastic.
Greeted by President Bush and his wife, Laura, with a no-pomp welcome, the all-smiles Camilla could be heard declaring something Mrs. Bush said was "fabulous." As the foursome headed inside for an intimate lunch, Camilla briefly lagged behind, straying off the red carpet and showing the jostling media horde a shy grin and a little wave.
There was no shortage of pageantry for the royal couple in the evening. A rare White House
black-tie evening featured buffalo for dinner, music by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and dancing with several dozen luminaries from the worlds of politics, history, writing, diplomacy and sports.
With an American tour that began Tuesday in New York, Charles and Camilla were looking to stoke trans-Atlantic enthusiasm for their new marriage. Camilla was long reviled in the British press as the woman who broke up Princess Diana's marriage to Charles, but has begun gaining acceptance with increasingly high-profile appearances since the longtime lovers wed in April.
The visit invited comparisons to Charles' 1985 U.S. trip with Diana. Then, the young princess wowed America with her
demure smiles, fashion sense and well-remembered turn around the White House dance floor with John Travolta.
On Wednesday, no military bands or ceremony heralded the royals' arrival - only the President and first lady waiting in the White House driveway. The duchess and the first lady both chose unadorned suits, Camilla's of navy blue with a kick-pleated skirt, Laura Bush's in tan and more tailored.
Other than the two countries' ambassadors, the only guests invited to the lunch of lemon sole at tables in the Bushes' private dining room were members of the president's family, including his mother, Barbara.
Then a lavish gift exchange. The Bushes presented custom-made his-and-hers leather saddles, each engraved with the crests of Charles' and Camilla's titles. The royal couple brought Winston Churchill essays and a cachepot of English bone china.

(Agencies)周三，英国王储查尔斯偕同夫人卡米拉抵达白宫时说：“我还在这里，我还活着”，并“隆重推出”他的新婚妻子卡米拉。这位康沃尔公爵夫人希望通过此次访问给美国众多的黛安娜崇拜者们留下好的印象，所以她表现得更加热情，这也是她代表英国皇室的第一次海外访问。
美国总统布什和妻子劳拉在低调的欢迎仪式上问候卡米拉，笑容满面的卡米拉说了些什么，劳拉称之为“太难以置信了”。当主宾四人准备进入白宫共进午餐时，卡米拉一个人落在后面，离开红地毯，对着蜂拥而上的媒体大军害羞的露齿一笑，并挥了挥手。
晚上为宴请这对英国皇室夫妇而举行的晚会盛大而华丽。白宫很少举行这样的正式晚会，野牛餐、大提琴演奏家马友友的演奏，政治、历史、写作、外交和体育等方面的杰出人物聚聚一堂。
周二，查尔斯王储和夫人卡米拉抵达此次美国之行的第一站——纽约，他们希望通过这次访问在大西洋两岸激起人们对他俩新婚的热情。长期以来，卡米拉一直受到英国媒体的斥责，被视为是破坏查尔斯王储和黛安娜王妃美好婚姻的第三者，但是，这对相爱多年的情侣在今年4月结婚后，卡米拉不断高姿态地出现在公众面前，渐渐为英国民众所接受。
查尔斯王储夫妇此次访问难免让人们和1985年查尔斯王储和当时的黛安娜王妃一起访美作比较。当时，年轻的黛安娜王妃以其端庄的笑容，时尚感以及在白宫和约翰·特拉沃尔塔的共舞轰动了整个美国。
周三，两位皇室成员到来的时候没有军乐队，也没有欢迎仪式，只有布什总统和第一夫人等候在白宫外的车道上。康沃尔公爵夫人和第一夫人装束都很自然，卡米拉身穿海军蓝百褶裙，而劳拉穿得是做工考究的黄褐色礼服。
除了两国的大使，受邀参加在布什私人餐厅举行的檬鲽午餐的只有布什的家人，其中包括他的母亲巴巴拉。
随后双方交换了丰富的礼物。布什夫妇送给查尔斯王储夫妇的是定做的情侣皮制马鞍，上面刻着查尔斯王储和卡米拉的封号。查尔斯王储夫妇回赠的是丘吉尔文集和一个英国骨灰瓷的花瓶。  (考试大)