Kate Lands With a Bump: Pregnant Duchess Arrives at New York Hotel Favored by Diana as Royal Couple Touch Down in The Big Apple

They landed at JFK airport at 5pm for 3-day trip and were raced to $14,000 a night Carlyle Hotel, where Diana stayed Attended a charity dinner with advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell last night William and five-months-pregnant Kate left their son George in the UK. Neither has ever been to New York Aides say Kate has expressed wishes to join William in climbing the Empire State Building today The royal couple will conclude their trip with a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to support St Andrew’s University, where they first met The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted by screaming New Yorkers as they arrived in the city for a whirlwind royal tour last night.

 Kate, 32, who is five months pregnant, was wearing a coat by British maternity label Seraphine, the first time she has been seen wearing a high street pregnancy label during her second pregnancy. The couple were greeted at the luxury Carlyle Hotel, where William's late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales once stayed, by its general manager and around 200 members of the public. The hotel, where a suite can cost $14,000 (£9,000)-a-night, will be the royal couple's base until they fly back to the UK immediately after their last engagement on Tuesday night.

It's good to be here,' William said to staff as he walked through the front doors hand-in-hand with Kate. Neither the Duke nor the Duchess have ever visited New York before and they have been 'immensely looking forward' to exploring the city, aides said. A royal source told the Daily Telegraph: 'The Duchess has told us that if she is feeling up to it she would like to join her husband at the Empire State Building on Tuesday. Her programme has been put together to take into account for the fact that she is five months pregnant and had an illness for the first stage of her pregnancy.' William and Kate travelled with their entourage, which totals seven in all plus security, on a scheduled British Airways flight into JKF airport, which arrived 15 minutes late at 5pm. The costs will be met by British taxpayers. They were raced into Manhattan in an official police motorcade immediately to their hotel and were expected at a private fundraising dinner within the hour. Despite their delay, the crowd at JFK never slowed down with signs, balloons, British flags and tons of excitement. New York’s glitterati were today preparing to open their hearts — and their wallets.

And there was plenty of praise for Kate's purple coat, designed by British maternity firm Seraphine. A spokeswoman for Seraphine said: 'We're delighted to see the Duchess of Cambridge wearing our bespoke Marina coat and wish her an enjoyable stay in New York City.' Prince William and Kate have left their 16-month-old son, Prince George, at home as they launch a charitable charm offensive on the Big Apple. Within hours after touching down on a scheduled flight from London with their seven-strong entourage – including Kate’s hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker, who is being paid for by the couple privately – were out schmoozing some of the city’s wealthiest men and women at a private dinner.

Just thirty hedge fund managers and financiers were invited to dine, starting with cocktails at 6.30pm hosted by Sorrell’s high-powered wife, Cristiana, followed by dinner an hour later. Contrary to rumour, no-one has been charged for the privilege, but it is clearly expected that those present will lavish large donations on the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, which supports causes as diverse as youth opportunity, the environment and injured service personnel. The fundraising will continue on Tuesday night with a gala at the world-famous Metropolitan Museum of Art to support a 600th Anniversary appeal by St Andrew’s University, where the couple first met. The extravagant £85,000-per-table event is being held at the museum’s Temple of Dendur exhibit, which was built in Egypt around 15 BC in dedication of the gods Isis and Osiris. After being saved from submersion during the construction of the Aswan Dam, the sandstone temple was given to the US in its entirety in 1965. All 800 tonnes of it was transported, block by block, across the Atlantic and rebuilt in the Met Museum. On the 450-strong guest list is Tom Hanks (whose daughter studied at the Scottish university), actress Mary-Kate Olsen, the chief executives of Citigroup (whose wife has already excitedly chatted to the local media about the designer dress she has specially commissioned for the occasion), Cartier and Bank of America, and William’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, who is currently working at an auction house in New York. Tomorrow will also see William fly to Washington where he will give a key-note speech the International Corruption Hunters Alliance conference, being held at the World Bank, about one of his biggest passions, halting the illegal trade in wildlife parts such as ivory and rhino horn. The prince will describe the illegal wildlife trade as ‘one of the most insidious forms of corruption and criminality in the world today’. He has also been invited to the White House to meet with President Obama and his Vice-President, Joseph Biden.

Tuesday will see the couple pay their respects at the National September 11 Memorial Museum before attending a star-studded event to mark British creative talent in New York. William will also attend a prize-giving at the Empire State Building, accompanied the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. Mr de Blasio famously played the Lorde’s anti-monarchy song Royals on the night of his election victory and has talked about smashing the ‘status-quo’, but seems happy to accompany the second in line to the throne. British ambassador to the US, Sir Peter Westmacott, said of the visit yesterday: ‘This is a very exciting moment for us, we are all thrilled. ‘There is a long history of very successful and appreciated royal visits to this country going back to the original state visit in 1939, which went so well. ‘When I speak here to people in the United States about the Royal Family they often hark back to the moment during the Second World War when the Queen stayed in London and trained to be an army mechanic….her extraordinary devotion to duty having been on the throne for more than 60 years. ‘This is the embodiment of a very lasting and close relationship between the Royal Family and this country. ‘It’s the first time that the Duke and Duchess have set foot in either New York or Washington.

‘We confidently hope this will be a very happy and enjoyable visit. Things are looking set fair. British Consul General in New York, Danny Lopez, added: ‘Overall it has been incredible to witness the level of excitement the visit has created. People have been falling over wanting to lend their support to the events we are hosting. ‘Frankly I’ve been here for a few years now and the levels of anticipation in their Royal Highnesses arriving here has been absolutely phenomenal.’ One Manhattan banker and socialite, Euan Rellie also described the royal couple as ‘fantastic ambassadors’. ‘They have been the best thing for the Royal Family in years and they’ve yet to put a foot wrong.’ That, of course, could yet happen when the couple pop into an NBA match at the Brooklyn Nets arena on Monday night, where the so-called ‘kiss cam’ is something of a rite of passage for any visiting celebrity. Everyone from the Obamas to Beyoncé have been captured smooching on screen after being picked out from the audience and their image displayed to the cheering (or booing) crowd. With royal protocol in mind, it’s unlikely they will say yes — but if they do, then Cambridges will truly have conquered New York.

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