New York Offers Princess Diana Both Protocol, Protests

Hours before the Princess of Wales stepped off the British Concorde at Kennedy Airport on Wednesday, one of her spokesmen tried to give an etiquette lesson to New York’s hyper-aggressive press corps.

“The Princess of Wales doesn’t operate in every way like a President of the United States or like a senior political figure,” Francis Cornish of the British Information Service, explained.

“If people think it would be a good idea to shout questions, I can tell you here and now that you won’t get an answer. Frankly, you’re more likely to get the back of her head,” he warned. “She will not give any interviews.”

Koch Pledges Politeness

New York’s normally outspoken Mayor Edward I. Koch pledged, meanwhile, that he would be polite and “not rain on her parade.”

“This is a young woman who has nothing to do but represent the royal family in a royal way,” Koch said. The mayor said that, above all, he would not bring up the touchy subject of Northern Ireland.

“I’m not going to do that,” Koch told reporters. “I don’t happen to agree with the British government’s position with respect to Northern Ireland. I believe that the phrase ‘Brits out of Ireland’ still applies. But I’m not going to insult this young woman.”

Welcome to the Big Apple, Lady Di.

The princess’ three-day, high-profile visit is designed to stress social causes and to push British products ranging from cashmere sweaters to a toy called Thomas the Tank Engine--a railroad locomotive with a happy smiling face.

Irish-American foes of British rule in Northern Ireland promised to protest the visit, especially when the 27-year-old princess attends the Welsh Opera’s American premiere, a performance of “Falstaff” tonight at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. After the final curtain and a backstage visit with the cast, she is to be the honored guest at a lavish dinner in the soaring glass and steel Winter Garden at the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan.

During her visit to New York, Diana is staying in a flower-filled $1,800-a-night deluxe duplex hotel suite with deep red walls with its own solarium and terrace--but without Prince Charles, who remains at home to hand out awards to a variety of Britons, including dairy farmers.

“The prince and princess receive several thousands of invitations a year in the U.K. and abroad,” explained Dickie Arbiter, assistant press secretary to the queen. “In order to satisfy the thousands of requests that come in, they have to split their resources.”

Just before dinner time, smiling and looking radiant in a royal blue wool coat and a string of pearls, Diana arrived amid heavy security at Kennedy Airport and rushed off to her first stop, a reception hosted by a firm that produces Scottish cashmere.

She also will promote British toy manufacturers by visiting FAO Schwarz, the huge 5th Avenue toy store.

The trip will also stress social problems. Diana will tour the Henry Street Settlement’s Urban Family Center in Lower Manhattan, a pioneering program serving as an alternative to welfare hotels for homeless families, and Harlem Hospital’s pediatric AIDS unit.

“I think the people are pretty excited,” said Fred Winters, a hospital spokesman. “I think all Americans are excited when they meet royalty.”

A spokesman for the princess said that her visits to Harlem Hospital and the Henry Street shelter were designed to follow up some of her own social interests in England.

“She is aware these are problems that loom large on the New York scene,” he said.

When Prince Charles visited New York some years ago, he was picketed heavily by Irish-Americans protesting British rule in Northern Ireland.

Nassau County Comptroller Peter King, chairman of the Committee for Legal Justice in Northern Ireland, said he would lead similar protests outside the Brooklyn Academy of Music.