The Prince and Princess of Wales were subjected to mixed reception of cheers and boos when introduced to the packed crowd at a Boston Celtics basketball game during their tour of the US city.
The Prince and Princess of Wales last night put on brave faces as boos could be heard across the TD Garden arena when their titles were announced and live pictures of them sitting court side were shown on the big screen above the court.
Other fans in the crowd could be heard loudly cheering “USA, USA” as the royal couple smiled awkwardly.
Two Celtics fans heard booing told The Mirror: “Yeah we booed. To let you guys know you’re in the U S f***ing A.”
One Celtics fan said: “I don’t know why people booed. It seemed pretty weird. Perhaps it’s because we a rich Irish heritage and they are British, people don’t normally boo whoever is on the screen like that.”
Another fan said: “I’ve no idea who they are, but someone on my row said they knew them as the British royals. It wasn’t full on booing anyway, just a few people shouting off, I don’t know why.”
Other Celtics fans pointed to the team’s rich Irish heritage which could have been at odds with the British royals' presence while others had no idea who William and Kate were.
The Boston Celtics' name was inspired by the Original Celtics, a well-known basketball team created by Irish immigrants in New York earlier in the 20th century, before folding in 1930.
William and Kate were not put off by the mixed reception and stayed for the entire game lasting more than two hours.
The couple cheered on the high-scoring game as the packed crowd ramped up the atmosphere for the 17-time World Champions game against the Miami Heat.
They posed with fans after chatting animatedly while sitting court side with the Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck and Emilia Faszalari, alongside Governor elect Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Prince William was in May subject to loud boos by football fans at Wembley stadium during the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea.
William, who is President of the FA, was jeered as he was introduced to both sets of players shortly before kick off.
Obscene gestures could then be seen amongst the crowd during God Save The Queen and the hymn Abide With Me, which has traditionally been sung at English football's showpiece event since 1927.
The behaviour of the fans involved has since sparked fury across the political landscape.
A race row involving Prince William’s godmother Lady Susan Hussey has threatened to completely overshadow the royals’ three day trip to the city, to promote the heir’s Earthshot Prize environmental awards.
Lady Susan Hussey, the Prince of Wales's 83-year-old godmother, resigned from the household yesterday after it emerged she had asked celebrated domestic violence campaigner Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, where she "really came from" at a Buckingham Palace reception on Tuesday.
William is understood to agree it was right for Lady Susan to step down from her honorary role as one of three Ladies of the Household, with a Kensington Palace spokesman telling reporters in the US ahead of the three-day trip to Boston: "Racism has no place in our society."
