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The couple will attend some 22 events during the whirlwind eight-day tour. Tomorrow Charles and Camilla will dine with President Bush at the White House in Washington before jetting south for a brief stop in hurricane ravaged New Orleans, en route to San Francisco.

Aides are hoping that the Duchess can charm the American public, traditionally seen as pro-Diana, as she undertakes her inaugural royal tour. The late Princess of Wales enchanted American society when she danced with Hollywood actor John Travolta at a White House gala dinner, almost 20 years ago to the day.

So far, the US media have largely ignored the impending royal tour. One poll showed that 81 per cent of Americans are not remotely interested in the couple and less than one in five wants to meet them.

But the tide could easily turn when they step out together amid a flurry of regal glamour.

The British Memorial Garden was designed by the British landscape architects Julian and Isabel Bannerman, known for their work on Charles’ own garden at Highgrove, at a cost of £3.6 million. The garden, which is due to be completed next summer, is designed as a green corner of Britain in Manhattan, with topiary trees, boxwood hedges and a central sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor.

The first seeds to be planted were delivered by the Princess Royal two years ago and were taken from royal palaces in Britain.

Camilla Hellman, president of the garden’s trust, said: "We are delighted and excited by their Royal Highness’s upcoming visit to our garden-in-progress."

Among those attending the brief dedication ceremony are Sir Evelyn and Lady Rothschild, Eileen Guggenheim, Lord Colin Campbell, Sir Harold Evans and his wife Tina Brown, the former Tatler editor, who is writing a biography about Diana.

Royal aides have tried to counter claims that the Duchess’s on-tour beauty regime is being paid for by taxpayers. Camilla’s hairdresser Hugh Green, make up artist Julia Biddlecombe and a dresser are travelling with the royal party for the visit.

"All costs for the wardrobe are being met by the Prince of Wales’s private income - this includes hair and make up. All other staff are being paid for by the Prince as well," a spokeswoman said.

The Foreign Office does pay for travel and accommodation for the staff.

Clarence House denied the couple took a 40-strong entourage with them to America. A spokeswoman said they were accompanied by 16 people - including the hairdresser, make up artist and one dresser.

The other members of staff include Camilla’s assistant private secretary Amanda MacManus, an assistant private secretary to the Prince, the Prince’s communications secretary Paddy Harverson, two valets, a butler, an equerry, three travel organisers, a press officer, an office PA and the royal doctor.

The couple will make a short trip to devastated New Orleans in the southern state of Louisiana on Friday. They will spend a couple of hours in the city, meeting emergency workers and families affected by the disaster.

More than 1,200 people were killed along the US Gulf Coast when Hurricane Katrina struck in late August and the world was left stunned at America’s slow response to the disaster.

Initially, it was thought New Orleans had escaped the worst of Katrina, but it quickly emerged that key defensive barriers had been breached, leaving floodwater pouring into the city.

Over the weekend, American channel CBS broadcast an interview with the Prince where he spoke to the current affairs programme 60 Minutes about his fears concerning the figures on climate change and global warming.

The subject will probably be avoided over dinner with President Bush, who has refused to sign the Kyoto agreement to cut greenhouse gases.

Asked whether he felt he was making a difference, Charles replied rather gloomily: "I don’t know. I try. I only hope that when I’m dead and gone, they might appreciate it a little bit more."

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