Prince Harry gone but not forgotten
The British royal family has to be breathing a sigh of relief after Prince Harry's Wild West adventure.
The fun-loving side of the 27-year-old royal surfaced again, with a 300-mile Scottsdale-to-Las Vegas motorcycle ride topped off by three nights of partying in Sin City.
The road trip fit his sometimes-rowdy reputation. He's been on a short leash in the past after embarrassing Buckingham Palace with scandals ranging from his hard-partying to wearing a Nazi uniform featuring a swastika to a costume party.
He was in Las Vegas on a break after two months of helicopter training at an air base near Gila Bend, Ariz.
Third in line to the throne, Prince Harry was photographed Friday afternoon leaving a Scottsdale Harley-Davidson shop at rush hour on a rented Harley Softail Classic accompanied by friends.
The prince owns an 848 Ducati and a classic Triumph, according to reports.
He showed up at Tryst nightclub in Wynn Las Vegas with a group about 1 a.m. Saturday. Prince Harry partied until 4 a.m. the next two nights at XS at Encore, a sister hotel of Wynn Las Vegas.
He apparently steered clear of controversy. But who knows. Maybe the paparazzi are still in negotiations.
He isn't the first celebrity to take a wild ride on a Harley in these parts.
Singer Billy Joel, who had at least two motorcycle accidents, reportedly rented a Harley for a desert run about 10 years ago.
Tim Cashman, co-owner of Las Vegas Harley-Davidson, said the list of celebrities who rented a Harley for a desert getaway includes NFL great Herschel Walker, rocker Steven Tyler with an entourage, cast members from "Hoarders" and British race car driver Jensen Button, on a bachelor party.
Even Elvis loved the freedom of the open road.
During stays at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., he'd join the Memphis Mafia, his inner circle, for desert rides, said right-hand man Joe Esposito, who lives in Las Vegas.
But that was off-limits when he was making a movie, Esposito said by telephone from Brisbane, Australia.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Colorado Rockies veteran Jason Giambi and his wife, Kristian, had a baby girl in New York City this month. Their first child, they named her London Shay. They have a home in Henderson.
SIGHTINGS
Actor Kelsey Grammer, having a Beefeater martini with vegetarian pizza during dinner with his wife, Kayte, on Monday at Spago (Forum Shops at Caesars). Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, dining at Nove Italiano (Palms) on Monday. Jenny McCarthy, with her on again/off again boyfriend Jason Toohey of Las Vegas at the Downtown Cocktail Lounge on Monday night. ... At STK (Cosmopolitan) over the weekend: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, dining with friends, and Paris Hilton, with Hollywood party-boy Brandon Davis. Tryst nightclub co-owner Jesse Waits and director of strategic marketing Ronn Nicolli, in a Bombay Sapphire ad in GQ's "Man of the Year" December issue. David Juliano, a casino dealer at CasaBlanca in Mesquite, competes on Thursday's "Double Your Money Week" on "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" (KTNV-TV, Channel 13, 7:30 p.m.).
THE PUNCH LINE
"In New York, people actually camped out to see Regis Philbin's last show. It looked like Occupy Wall Street. But Regis' fans are a little bit older, so it was more like Occupy Wal-Mart." -- Craig Ferguson
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
