Prince Harry landed in New York Tuesday to pay respects to communities ripped apart by Hurricane Sandy and advocate for tourism and philanthropy.
Harry first stopped in Seaside Heights, where he and his tour guide Gov. Chris Christie traveled to the boardwalk. He and Christie played games with children passing by at an arcade, throwing plastic balls into holes for prizes that they gave to the kids, reported the Washington Post.
They continued walking towards the ocean, the roller coaster that sank into the ocean by the hands of Sandy back in October in plain view.
The prince met police and firefighters, heartily shaking their hands as he was introduced down a line of emergency personnel. He saw construction workers who had worked on rebuilding the famed boardwalk since the devastating Superstorm.
Harry said he was impressed by New Jersey's sense of community, even after being torn down.
"Everyone's getting together and making things right," he said.
The endearing red head, with rosy cheeks and a bright smile, was practically mauled by groups of women and girls who all clamored to get a photo with the member of British royalty.
Brianna Marchal, 19, described Prince Harry as "so cute."
"The crowd literally grew three inches when he came by because everyone was on their tip toes, trying to get a picture. It's the whole fairy tale thing," she said. "He's a real live prince, here in New Jersey. We both want to marry him."
10 miles north in Mantoloking, residents watched as Harry arrived in his formal procession. Some people flew Union Jack flags. One handwritten sign said, "Prince Harry please come back when we're restored."
Christie pointed out the location where Mantoloking was cut in half by the storm, taking a bridge and a handful of houses with it.
Each of the 521 homes in the well-off community were either damaged or destroyed by the Superstorm.
"This used to be a house?" Harry asked incredulously.
As Harry and his motorcade continued down the roads of Mantoloking, they passed by Lavalette Elementary School, where children stood waving American and British flags.
From there, the prince went to New York City to campaign for more tourism in England. He and British Prime Minister David Cameron are currently working with a United States business partner to bone up travel to Britain.
