Prince William, Kate Middleton attract spotlight in US

Kate Middleton and Prince William jetted off to the United States on Wednesday for their first visit as Prince and Princess of Wales, attracting intense media spotlight.

William and Kate's US trip will be their first in eight years. The visit has gained much hype as it comes a few days before King Charles III's California-based son Prince Harry and American's wife Meghan to attend a glitzy awards ceremony ahead of a Netflix TV documentary and memoir.

The Duke and Duchess have received huge backlash for being named for the prestigious awards as it was revealed that the couple would be awarded for their stand against royal 'racism'. 

While, Kate is loved as superstar by Americans and many are restlessly awaiting for their favourite royals. They are visiting Boston, primarily to attend an awards ceremony for the Earthshot environmental prize which the prince set up. It is being viewed by the royals as a trip rather than a more traditional tour.

The trip is the most high-profile since William became heir to the throne in September, when his father succeeded Queen Elizabeth II to become Briton's new monarch.

It could be a chance to contrast the popularity and lives of the two brothers, whose falling out, along with Harry and Meghan's criticism of the monarchy, has become one of the defining stories of the House of Windsor in recent years.

"The royal family are a competitive bunch, they always have been and always will be," royal biographer Andrew Morton told Reuters.

"Prince William is the future king, Prince Harry no longer has a royal role. But nonetheless, they will be looking at the optics to see who had the biggest crowds, who had the most column inches and if they tell you otherwise, don't believe them."

Erin Hill, U.S. People magazine's senior editor, added: "I think it's only natural for people to want to pit these two couples against each other, but I think American audiences are not viewing this as a competition."

Kate and William, who last came to the US in 2014 for a visit to New York City, feel and appreciate the warmth and excitement of the American people.