“I'm from England,” piped the young girl, clearly desperate to join the ranks of people-the-Prince-has-spoken-to.

The St. George's Preparatory School pupil, whose class had behaved immaculately during their audience with royalty, was far from the only person in Bermuda to demonstrate an irrational desire to speak to Edward Windsor yesterday.

Young or old, Bermudian, American or English, pretty much anyone who was in the East End wanted a piece of the Prince.

Prince was happily able to play the role of Pied Piper of St. George's as he led a party of security officials, media, dignitaries and some intrigued tourists around the World Heritage Site.

The Prince, like all his relatives, is an expert in the art of meet-and-greet after years of international practice but somehow he manages to remain genuinely interested in what he is being shown.

Those who met him yesterday, and there were many, were overwhelmingly impressed with his charm, understanding, interest, enthusiasm and humour.

Phil Cracknell, whose 150-year-old house suffered $150,000 of damage in Fabian, was among those to join the Edward fan club after the two spent five minutes chatting in the centre of St. George's.

“What a charming man,” said Mr. Cracknell, who received calls from Special Branch when his house was put on the list of places to visit on the royal schedule.

“He seemed very interested and asked some very sensible questions. He seemed startled, though, when I told him that I spent eight hours underneath a staircase during the worst of the storm.

“But, yes, I was very impressed with him.”

This was a view shared by Mayor Henry Hayward, who also used the word “charming”, and any number of American tourists who were wowed by his presence.

Lunch-time at the White Horse Tavern suddenly became even more attractive as the terrace became one of the best vantage points to grab a snap of His Royal Highness as he wandered slowly through town.

On an Island like Bermuda, where Michael Douglas can pick his children up from school un-paparazzied and Harry Belafonte can wander through the crowds of the Jazz Festival un-jostled, the Prince did attract a rare stir of interest.

Bermuda's equivalent of a media scrum saw staff from ZBM, VSB, the Bermuda Sun and The Royal Gazette join in the mischievous game of get-as-close-as-you-can without upsetting the shade-wearing security men nor the concerned press officers.

But the Prince, clearly used to much more serious and penetrating media attention, happily ignored us as he weaved his way through his day's functions.

He seemed to have a disarming ability to leave people at ease.

And the fact that he asked to come here rather than return home to his pregnant wife, the fact that he wanted to meet the Causeway victims' families and that he wanted to lay a wreath speaks volumes about a man who clearly takes his public duties seriously.

He told an aide that he was, once again, amazed and impressed at the friendliness here. Your Highness, the feeling was probably mutual.