The Prince and Princess of Wales attended a game involving the Boston Celtics, but coach Joe Muzzulla wasn’t impressed by their presence. They were heckled and subjected to USA chants.
When asked if he had the chance to meet the visiting Royal Family at a press conference following the game, Muzzulla, 34, responded, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?”
When the reporter laughed and corrected him, he waved the question off, claiming “he hadn’t met the couple”.
The couple began their American tour in Boston on Wednesday for the Earthshot Prize awards, a three-day celebration honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to environmentalism.
“Oh no, I was unable to meet them” – he told reporters, despite being pictured standing directly in front of them, “I’m only familiar with one Royal Family; I’m not too familiar with [the British] one.”
The Royal couple weren’t well-liked by the crowd or the home team, and their presence at the game wasn’t widely publicized until halftime when they were introduced.
When William and Kate were introduced on the stadium’s big screen while they were seated courtside in the TD Garden, they made timid waves and smiled.
A few jeers and numerous “USA!” chants started to fill the stadium as soon as the crowd realized who was there.
The royal couple continued to beam, however, and posed for pictures with admirers. The boisterous crowd raised the energy for the 17-time World Champions game against the Miami Heat as they cheered on the high-scoring contest.
Jaylen Brown, a guard for the Boston Celtics, made clear to reporters after the game how little he cared about playing in front of the Prince and Princess of Wales by saying: “It was just a regular game to me.”
Not all of the Americans present, though, were unimpressed with the couple’s appearance.
They were supposed to leave at halftime, but Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck was honored that they stayed for the entire second half because they were having so much fun.
According to Grousbeck, “They were going on 22 hours being up, and they didn’t want it to stop.”
Additionally, according to Grousbeck, the couple didn’t comprehend what a three-pointer was until he explained it to them.
Photo: AP
The couple were described as being “very down to earth” and “very personable” by the other co-owner, Steve Pagliuca.
“They could not have been better guests”, said Grousbeck. “They were incredibly kind people who only cared about other people. They genuinely want to improve the world and want to see that everyone else is having a good time”.
Following rumors that Wills and Kate would attend the game, Kathryn Lehman, 32, and her friend Katie Grady, 34, each spent $205 on tickets in the hopes of meeting the Royals.
Lehman told the Boston Globe about her embarrassing encounter with William when she was 11 years old, saying: “I just said: Hi, I’m Kathryn, and I’m American – incredibly embarrassing”.
Photo: AP
Lehman added that she and Grady “were at the age where we could witness that entire love story and really appreciate it” because they “grew up watching the prince and princess’s love story.”
She explained to the Globe, “We’re in our early 30s, so we grew up with this vision of a fairytale, and Kate was someone who was a commoner and grew up super normal and married into the Royal Family”.
The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, which provides grassroots programming and funding to local organizations supporting at-risk or in-need populations, was among the members of the “Celtics family” that the royals met before the game.
Digital billboards were lit up green all around the arena to advertise Prince William’s Earthshot Awards, and fans were treated to a pregame advertisement video.
William and Kate observed as the Celtics honored their long-standing custom of honoring a “Hero Among Us,” highlighting people working to have a positive impact on the community, after the second quarter with the score tied 47 all.
Photo: Reuters
Ollie Perrault, a 15-year-old climate activist from Easthampton, Massachusetts, was applauded by the community for her work as a key participant in the Youth Climate Leadership Program. Ollie Perrault then got to meet the royal couple.
She is now the organization’s founder and director, dedicated to the cause of environmental justice and working to engage more young people in taking direct climate action.
The elderly Buckingham Palace employee who is William’s godmother was accused of making racist remarks at an event that Queen Consort Camilla hosted just hours before the Prince and Princess arrived in Boston. Camilla has also been accused of having a racist attitude.
A few hours prior to the basketball game, the royal couple attended the Earthshot Awards opening ceremony.
Photo: EPA
John Kerry, the US presidential envoy for the environment, and Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Australia, were scheduled to meet the pair at the event’s opening, but they abruptly cancelled their appearances.
Kennedy missed the Earthshot event due to weather-related travel delays, according to a Royal spokesperson who later spoke with DailyMail.com. Kennedy later met the Prince and Princess at a Boston Celtics game, where they were photographed shaking hands.
The spokesperson stated that Kerry was under the weather at the time but hoped to meet William and Kate on Friday.
