William and Kate Visit Inner-City Arts, Job Fair for Veterans on Final Day in LA

In the early morning hours on Sunday, July 10 as the Duke and Duchess were leaving the British Consulate-General's residence in Hancock Park a small crowd had gathered nearby. They took a few moments to greet the well-wishers. It was then off to a private Sunday brunch in the Hollywood Hills at the home of film producer Steve Tish. A few others in attendance may have had to pay $100,000 for the honor.

Now talk about extremes as William and Kate descended from the riches of mansions throughout posh Hollywood into the lowlands of downtown Los Angeles' skid row area. A bright spot amongst the urban blight jungle was the Inner-City Arts, a center for children from skid row to develop their artistic abilities through painting, sculpting and dancing.

The couple was warmly welcomed during their stay engaging in some arts and crafts of their own. Their last stop took them to the Sony Studios in Culver City for an event given by the ServiceNation: Mission Served "Hire Our Heroes" job fair. Prince William and Kate received a rock star welcome complete with rock music.

The TUSK Trust Brunch with Film Producer

A majority of William and Kate's U.S. visit had to do with raising money for the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, in addition to promoting British interests in the U.S. As with the polo charity event in Santa Barbara on Saturday, this private Sunday brunch and fundraiser featured a number of A-List celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and a supermodel.

TUSK Trust is an African wildlife charity the royal couple is deeply passionate about. It is to help bring further awareness to the destruction of Africa's natural beauty and vital heritage. Steve Tish, the Oscar-winning film producer of "Forest Gump" and owner of the NFL's New York Giants, opened his palatial home for the US Patrons Circle of TUSK.

Inner-City Arts in Downtown LA near Skid Row

Skid Row is the area in downtown Los Angeles that's also known as the homeless capital of the world. A growing number of 'at risk' children live near this arts center where William and Kate visited. Across the street a crowd who braved the elements of heat and homeless shelters among other unpleasantries were shouting "Will and Kate."

Inner-City Arts was founded in 1989 with its unique approach to the visual and performing arts. Over a 150,000 or more children have taken advantage of this program. Many of them now come from the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Prince William interacted with some students by making a clay turtle. Afterwards, he asked them if his turtle was a girl or boy. It was a boy according to the students. William suggested they call him Harry, but they wanted to name him William.

Kate enjoyed painting with some future Picasso's. In true Hollywood style, from an era gone by, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge put their handprints in clay for prosperity like they once did in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

ServiceNation: Mission Served "Hire Our Heroes" Veterans Job Fair

Inside Sony Studios there were British and American flags hung in the background behind the stage. A cheering crowd greeted the couple like rock stars complete with recorded music from a Southern California rock band, Van Halen. This event's aim was to find jobs for veterans who are out of the military or will be shortly.

Prince William gave a speech to the crowd praising the job fair exclusively devoted to the U.S. military veterans. He also stated it would be a good initiative in Britain. Vietnam veteran Jose Ramos, 63, met with the Prince to talk about his own efforts in raising money for a homeless shelter. William remarked not to ever give up since Ramos is a champion amongst homeless veterans. Ramos gave William his prized original jump wings to show his appreciation for their meeting.

SOURCES:

Rebecca English, "Royal snail: Kate races ahead with her painting at Inner-City Arts campus whilst William is slow off the mark", Mail Online

Bryan Alexander, "Prince William, Kate conclude US tour", USA Today

Anthony McCartney, "Kate, William depart US after charming Hollywood", Yahoo! News