BOSTON: The United Kingdom's Prince William and wife Catherine began their first visit to the United States in eight years Wednesday under the cloud of a fresh racism row after his godmother quit the royal household for repeatedly asking a Black British woman where she was 'really' from.

The new Prince and Princess of Wales met Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor-elect Maura Healey at the city hall and then sat courtside at a basketball match between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat as they kickstarted their three-day trip focused on climate change.