Prince Andrew making the high tech rounds
February 8th, 2008 by Benjamin KuoPrince Andrew, Duke of York, has been making the rounds this week at high tech companies in Southern California, as part of a tour to promote investment and trade with the United Kingdom. Prince Andrew — who serves as the United Kindom’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, and is the third child of Queen Elizabeth, as well as fourth in line for the throne — dropped by Avery Dennison in Pasadena today, stopped at Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software, and has also been attending countless dinners and receptions across the Southland.
At a dinner held Thursday night at the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey, the Prince spoke about the common links between the United Kingdom and the United States, promoted investment and trade by U.S. companies in the UK, about the economy and fears of–as he termed it, the “R” word–and also spoke for some time about global warming and how technology could be used to help move towards a carbon neutral economy. I was invited by the folks at UK Trade & Investment to attend, and I had a chance to talk with many of the companies and people there — including a number of high tech firms in the region, Hollywood and entertainment executives, investment bankers, and many others.
It’s somewhat unusual for the industry to be courted by royalty, but it’s clear that there’s a concerted effort by the UK–and other countries–to get mindshare, investment, and business from Southern California’s high tech industry, which can only be considered a good thing.
