Can a man in a bear suit shake hands with a prince?

This just in, courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle's ace investigative reporters, Phil Matier and Andrew Ross:

Grin and bear it: Prince Charles' visit Monday night to the new de Young (Museum) drew an army of police, a mob of press and one protesting bear.

Actually, it was somebody dressed in a bear costume with a sign that read: "God Save the Bear."

The bear, in this case, turned out to be a member of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (a.k.a. PETA), which had been dogging Charles and Camilla at every stop of their whirlwind Washington / New York / San Francisco journey in hopes of persuading the eco-friendly royal couple to do away with the traditional bear fur hats worn by the Palace Guards and switch to faux fur instead.

And while no change appears imminent, PETA press piper Matt Rice deemed the bear stunt a success.

Granted, standing outside the museum in the wind and rain and getting soaked was no picnic. But Rice said the weeklong vigil attracted plenty of attention to the cause — and that PETA's gritty persistence had won grudging admiration from the prince's security detail.

At Point Reyes, the faux bear even got close enough to briefly shake Prince Charles' hand.

"I had asked him to have a beer with the bear, but he politely declined," Rice said, then added: "He definitely knew we were there."

Sounds like a stunt from the David Letterman show.

When it comes to animals, PETA, I love 'em too. Most of 'em I love grilled. A few I love fried. Little ones from the ocean are especially lovable when sautéed in butter and garlic.

Some days you eat the bear. Some days, the bear eats you.