Under

a royal blue sky and with the strains of The

Beatles' "Twist and Shout" playing,

Prince Philip of England touched down on Coweta

soil Monday morning.

His

Royal Highness paid a visit to Newnan to

commemorate the opening of Slumberland in the

Shenandoah Industrial Park.

Slumberland

is a British mattress company that has been

chosen by the Royal Family as its mattress of

choice since 1947.

"I'm

sure Newnan and all of Georgia will sleep better

now," said Prince Philip with a touch of

British wit.

Nearly

200 invited guests turned out for the reception,

which featured several dignitaries from Coweta

and Fayette counties.

The

prince spoke for about 30 seconds before being

led on an escorted tour of the plant. Slumberland

is expected to employ about 150 people at the

Coweta facility and will serve as the company's

headquarters for North and South America.

As

the Prince's motorcade made its way to the

facility, several group of school children from

Coweta and Fayette counties waved brightly

colored streamers and carnations as the limousine

pulled up to the plant.

The

children are part of the Achievers International

group. The group is a nonprofit corporation that

helps create a global economic education program

between students in Georgia and counterparts in

Scotland, England and Wales.

The

program was initially piloted at schools in

Fayette and Coweta counties in 1995, but has

spread to other systems.

Bette

Hickman, who is Achievers International executive

director, said she met with a spokesman for the

Royal Family to prepare for the visit.

"He

just wanted to put us at ease. He told us to

think of it as a family visit," said

Hickman.

After

Prince Philip toured the facility, he attended a

reception inside the plant with several of the

dignitaries. A white tent was set up, with lush

background music playing. The Prince and his

guests dined on Sprayberry's barbecue before he

headed back to Atlanta.

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