Prince Harry, the youngest son of the late Princess Diana and heir to the throne Prince Charles of Wales, arrived in NYC yesterday on his first official visit to the United States of America. Prince Harry spent part of the first day of his visit paying his respects at Ground Zero (the site of the former World Trade Center twin towers that were attacked on September 11, 2001) before moving on to various other locales for other activities. Here are a few pics of his Royal hotness at different stops along the way on his first visit to NYC yesterday:

Prince Harry, the younger son of Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana, offered his condolences to September 11 victims Friday in his first official trip overseas. Harry’s two-day visit to New York, surrounded by public officials and community activists, could reflect a change in a public image that has been marred by several incidents, including a one-day stint in drug rehab in 2002 and accusations of racism in January. At the outset of his visit, Harry stopped at ground zero with New York Gov. David Paterson and briefly talked with family members of September 11 victims. The prince then laid a wreath at the World Trade Center site and bowed his head in a moment of silence. He left a handwritten note tacked to the wreath, citing an “admiration of the courage shown by the people” of New York on September 11, 2001. Harry later paid tribute to his fellow citizens at Lower Manhattan’s British Garden at Hanover Square, where he honored the 67 British victims of the September 11 attacks, officials said. Harry’s trip will also take him uptown to the Harlem Children’s Zone, where he and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho hope to learn how the nonprofit has succeeded in supporting children in the low-income area, officials said. Following the example of his mother, Harry will use this trip to promote his own charity for children, Sentebale. Co-founded with Lesotho’s prince, the charity supports children in the sub-Saharan country who lost parents to AIDS. Also on Harry’s agenda is a meeting with veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars, officials said. Harry, 24, served for two months in Afghanistan as a Coalition Forces soldier in 2007. The third in line for the British crown, Harry is active in the British Army. He received a promotion to lieutenant in April 2008 and is training for an Army Air Corps pilot position, according to the prince’s Web site.

While Harry was all biz in NYC yesterday, he will get some playtime today on Day 2 of his official visit to NYC. At the start of today, Harry will spend time at Harlem Children’s Zone (which is an organization that offers families social and educational aid) and he will be accompanied by Sentebale‘s co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. Then, later on today, the young prince will play in a charity polo match, The Veuve Cliquot Manhattan Polo Classic, on Governor’s Island in NY harbor in order to raise money for the US branch of his Sentebale charity. I understand that a great many New Yorkers are very excited to attend this polo event to watch Prince Harry play. It’s strange to think that this is Harry‘s first official visit to NYC … but I guess if you think about it, as a Prince of England, he really must occupy all of his time with British affairs. I hope Prince Harry enjoys his time on this side of the pond. I know that we are very happy to host him :)

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]