July 10, 2011
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Prince William and his wife, Catherine, got their hands dirty with paint and putty as they visited a children's art program in downtown Los Angeles Sunday.
The hourlong visit to the low-income Skid Row neighborhood was the start of their last day in Southern California, which will end after an afternoon job fair for U.S. military veterans and their spouses.
"What the hell is that?" William asked Catherine as he looked at her artwork. His wife was painting a snail as she sat among a group of fifth-graders.
"That's amazing," Catherine said to children as she admired their work in a ceramics class.
The royal newlyweds left a lasting impression at the Inner-City Arts Center, literally. They each put their hands onto a board of putty, leaving imprints for future visitors to see.
Their three-day whirlwind tour of Southern California was designed to be a combination of commerce and charity missions for the royal couple.
Their time at the afternoon job fair, dubbed ServiceNation, "aims to strengthen" the ties between British and U.S. military, a news release said.
About 1,500 out-of-work American veterans and their spouses were invited to meet with job recruiters from 150 companies.
The problem of unemployment among former military families will "be raised monumentally by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge being here," said U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vice President Kevin Schmiegel, one of the job fair organizers.
"Prince William is the most recognizable military officer in the world," Schmiegel said. "So, I think if they look at the portfolio of things that they're interested in raising awareness about, it makes sense that he is interested in this."
The event is being held at Sony Studios' sound stage 15, the same building where scenes for the "Wizard of Oz" and many other movies were filmed.
