A sentence I never thought I would say: Prince Harry visited the Jersey Shore this morning. It was quite lovely to wake up in my own bed and drive a mere 30 minutes to greet the young prince this morning as he visited the Seaside boardwalk – an area brutally damaged by Hurricane Sandy. However he had one very significant detour prior to gracing us with his presence on the boardwalk – he helicoptered to Mantoloking to meet Governor Chris Christie, touring damaged homes and greeting first responders. Oh, and it was better than I could have imagined because the Governor gave His Royal Highness an official Chris Christie fleece – the constant for Jersey residents as we rode out the storm six months ago.
Upon arriving in Seaside, Governor Christie showed Harry the infamous roller-coaster submerged in the ocean; the ride was finally removed almost the moment the prince departed. Then came the cuteness – Harry played classic boardwalk games with a group of twenty-five young children from Seaside Elementary School. My former high school science teacher turned Seaside principal, Chris Reichel, said he asked teachers to select the students who would be the best fit for fun and games with the prince – and he was blocking a gaggle of female teachers from jumping on the bus this morning. While the older children were well aware of what was going on and were excited he said, the younger ones were a bit more overwhelmed by all the press. Mr. Reichel told me that one young student asked Prince Harry, “where’s your crown?”
When asked about the seeing New Jersey in recovery mode, Prince Harry said: “They’re fantastic, its American spirit.” He then elaborated on the resilience of the Jersey Shore, “Everyone getting together and making things right. Its fantastic, its really good.”
Harry, I could not agree more. Please, feel free to visit whenever you would like. I know a great pizza place to take you. Needless to say, I am thrilled he visited the area that I call “home,” and am hopeful that his visit will bring attention back to the shore – six months may have passed, but Hurricane Sandy is still a daily struggle.
Keep Calm and Harry On 