WILLIAM AND KATE STAND STRONG IN AMERICA

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES SHRUG OFF DRAMAS ON THE HOME FRONT AS THEY ATTEND THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE AWARDS CEREMONY IN THE USA

- RHONA MERCER

The Prince and Princess of Wales' first trip overseas since the death of Queen Elizabeth II was always going to make headlines.

But due to events beyond William and Kate's control, their three-day visit last week to Boston, Massachusetts, which was centred around the star-studded Earthshot Prize Awards at the MGM Music Hall, attracted even more attention than usual.

The first drama the couple had to deal with before they even landed on US soil was the racism row surrounding William's godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, after she repeatedly asked Black British charity boss Ngozi Fulani where she was "really" from during a Buckingham Palace event.

Lady Susan, 83, who was the Queen's lady in waiting for over 60 years, resigned immediately from her role as Woman of the Bedchamber and a spokesman for the Prince of Wales addressed the situation by saying, "Racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect."

In addition to that incident, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released the trailer for their much anticipated Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, on the second day of William and Kate's trip. This also had the potential to overshadow their visit - but palace sources made it very clear William would not be "distracted" by the noise being made by his estranged brother and sister-in-law.

And during their first engagement after landing in America, as the couple were greeted at Boston City Hall Plaza by Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor-Elect Maura Healey, William thanked QUEEN locals for welcoming him and reminded everyone why he was there.