A Down-to-Earth Royal Twosome

Little turned around, beaming.

"I've never seen a royal in my life," she said. "Oh, wait a minute, I did see a queen. But I don't remember what country she was from."

As their day closed, the royal couple offered much more than a fleeting glance to a select group at a low-key evening reception in the residence of British Ambassador David Manning and his wife, Lady Catherine Manning. The 140 guests included people involved in organizing the couple's Washington events and contributors to the prince's charitable causes. Reporters were roped off from the royals, but they seemed well at ease among their fans. Not stiff, not altogether fusty, just doing the duty of cocktail-party chatter.

Cal Ripken came, with his wife, Kelly. "We like to live dangerously," he quipped cryptically when asked why he was there, then explained that he supported Charles's foundation and had met him previously in England.

"He's fabulous in gardening and architectural integrity," said auto magnate Mandy Ourisman, there with his wife Mary. Other business types made the list, including Noland Archibald, CEO of Black & Decker, a donor to one of the prince's recycling causes, and Fred Malek, who heads one of the groups vying to buy the Nationals, and his wife, Marlene.

The prince and princess consort peeled off separately to greet guests while waiters circulated with flutes of champagne and canapes of caviar, smoked salmon and quail eggs. Camilla wore an antique gold lace cocktail dress. There was plenty of mingling and small talk in the residence ballroom while a jazz band offered mellow standards such as "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."

There was no dancing on the schedule of Their Royal Highnesses, on Day 3 of their belated Newlywed American Tour.

Staff writer Richard Leiby contributed to this report.