Just last week I went to Buckingham Palace, but, unlike the pussy cat, I never laid eyes on the queen. In fact, I almost ended up in the dog house. I was there to interview Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, fourth in line to the throne after his brother Charles and nephews William and Harry. The Royals rarely speak to the press, so I was on my best behavior and just a wee bit nervous. Right before it was time to go inside I was standing in the courtyard waiting for my last live shot with Matt (who was on the set back in New York). Suddenly a black sedan came out of nowhere, blocking our beautiful view of the palace. My producer Mary Ann Zoellner and I began to gesture wildly with our hands....as in "Get out of the way...now!"

The car kept moving and the live shot went off without a hitch. But when it was over, a rather somber looking man walked up to Mary Ann and announced, "That was......the Duke." He told us not to worry, but I immediately began to envision a mob of angry Brits storming the place and screaming, "Yankee Go Home!"

As it turned out, not only was Prince Andrew incredibly gracious, but he also had a delightful sense of humor. In fact, we got along royally, if I may say so. He gave me a tour of the grand hallway and waited patiently as we adjusted our cameras. At one point we asked if we could borrow a Ming vase we'd seen in another room and place it in our shot. After eyeballing us for a split second, he suggested someone from the palace should move it for us.

Two hours later, the interview over, Prince Andrew wished us well and went off to a meeting. Before I left I took one last look around, and couldn't help but notice that some of the furniture seemed a little threadbare. This time I envisioned all the kings and queens and visiting dignitaries from around the world who had worn down the material over the years since Queen Victoria first called Buckingham Palace home. A young woman toting a vacuum cleaner suddenly scurried by, and brought me back to the present. I wanted to ask her if she ever found chewing gum stuck behind the legs of the couches, but held my tongue.