Prince Charms Chicago Pupils, Is Given T-Shirts for His Sons

Prince Charles bought Princess Diana a $380 English sweater at a department store Friday, then visited with schoolchildren who gave him T-shirts and caps to take home to his sons.

Charles spent about 30 minutes at Whitney Young Magnet High School near downtown after attending the ribbon-cutting for Marshall Field department store’s “Eagle and the Crown” British promotion.

The prince first visited a social studies class, where he talked with several students. He then met with student government officers, top scholars and a representative of the school’s football team.

The students gave the Prince of Wales caps and T-shirts with the school name on them for his sons, Harry, 2, and William, 4.

Eighth-Grader ‘Amazed’

“I was just kind of amazed,” said eighth-grader Sam Baricovich, 13. “If he were just a normal person, I would like to have him as a friend.”

“It was one of the most important days in my life,” said Jose Gamaliel Bahena, 13. “I’ll tell my grandchildren about this one.”

Mary Kulanda, 15, the student council treasurer, spent several hours dressing up in pearls, heels and a white dress before meeting the prince.

“It was worth it,” she said. “We all expected him to be more stuck up. He was really very down to earth, just like the rest of us.”

The school, which draws its 2,400 pupils from throughout the city based on academic achievement, was selected because of its proximity to downtown and because it was viewed as representative of Chicago’s public schools.

Played Polo Match

Charles, who spoke at Harvard University’s 350th anniversary ceremonies Thursday in Cambridge, Mass., played in a polo match after the visit and later planned to fly to Scotland.

Charles shook off a fall from his pony in the Prince of Wales Cup polo match but went on to score two goals to help lead Britain to a 12-10 victory over the United States.

Charles played polo in place of the British team captain, Maj. Ronald Ferguson, father of Sarah Ferguson, the new Duchess of York. Ferguson agreed to sit out so Charles could play.