King Charles and Queen Camilla have landed in Ottawa for a short visit, which is already being seen as a symbolic gesture to President Trump that ‘Canada is not for sale’.
The royal couple’s arrival today marks a significant moment as they kick off their historic visit to Ottawa – Charles’ first as the head of state – to participate in the formal opening of parliament on Tuesday.
This occasion holds particular importance as it has been 58 years since a sovereign has partaken in this ceremonial duty, happening at a time when Canadians are expressing their indignation towards the US President’s remarks suggesting Canada could potentially be absorbed as America’s ’51st state’.
Their Majesties have flown over on board a Canadian Royal Air Force Airbus CC-330 Husky, specially utilised for the transport of high-ranking government officials, which was sent to collect them from the UK.
Disembarking at Hanger 11, they were greeted by two ‘Mounties’ – members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – and a 25-strong Honour Guard from the Royal Canadian Dragoon, of which the King is Colonel-in-Chief.
In a sign of the significance of his visit, Charles was also met by not only his in-country representative, the Governor-General of Canada Mary Simon, but also the newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney and a wealth of dignitaries including the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, and other indigenous leaders.
Queen Camilla received a bouquet of flowers from Lila Graham, 14, a supporter of the local food bank.
Queen Camilla was wearing a pale pink fringed coat dress by Anna Valentine, with Chanel shoes.
Pinned to the front of the dress was, touchingly, the maple leaf diamond brooch given to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, by her husband, King George VI. She wore it on her first visit to Canada in 1939.
The jewellery was later inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it regularly.
There were also school groups from both Ontario and Quebec, which officials said reflected the ‘enthusiasm’ of young Canadians for the visit including Duke of Edinburgh Awards students.
Representatives of Canada’s First Nations communities were among the welcoming party at the airport, including Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who was wearing a rare treaty medal that was given to one of the original signatories of Treaty 2 – which established land reserves, education and other provisions for the First Nations.
Cindy showed the King the silver medal, which show two people shaking hands and were a gift given on behalf of Queen Victoria to the 9 First Nations who signed the treaty – one of which was her ancestor, Chief Richard Woodhouse..
Fourteen-year-old Lila Graham from Carleton Place, Ontario, who since the age of four has asked for food bank donations in lieu of birthday presents, presented the Queen with a posey of flowers.
‘They’re beautiful,’ she said while the King enquired about the Coronation medal pinned to her navy blue dress.
In March, Lila became one of the youngest recipients of the King Charles III Coronation medal for her community service, having helped secure over 771kg (1,700lbs) of donations for Lanark County Food Bank.
The King and Queen, who flew from the UK earlier on Monday, then went over to listen to an Algonquin group playing drums.
Speaking to Governor General Mary Simon, Charles said ‘the drum has a lovely skin on it,’ before going on to greet dozens of schoolchildren from Ontario and Quebec who had gathered to greet the royal couple.
One of the school groups comprised of pupils enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a youth achievement programme that encourages personal development and was founded by the King’s father, Prince Philip, in 1956.
After shaking as many hands as they could, the King and Queen got into the waiting car and headed to their next engagement at Lansdowne Park.
Involving local food vendors and artisans, artistic performances and even a street hockey rink, the event has been designed to showcase the best of Canadian culture and give the royals the chance to speak to locals amid a packed official programme.
Arriving at the venue, Charles and Camilla made their way along the barriers, shaking hands with members of the public as they were told variations of ‘thank you for coming’ – interspersed with anecdotes about how people had met the late Queen during her previous visits to the country.
The King and Queen stopped for a few moments to talk to one of her regiments, the Queen’s Own Rifles, of which Camilla is Colonel-in-Chief.
Some well-wishers shouted ‘God Save The King’ as a nearby group sang an acapella version of the UK national anthem.
One woman said she had ‘goosebumps’ after meeting the couple, having waited from 9am to secure her place in the crowd before finally seeing the King and Queen at around 2pm.
Heather Dorward, 46, told the King she had met the late Queen Mother when she was in Toronto as a schoolgirl. The King responded by telling her that his grandmother ‘was amazing’.
Annie Riendeau, 50, from Montreal, showed Charles a tattoo of his late mother’s cipher EIIR on her inner forearm and told the King: ‘I’m going to get one for you too, soon.’
Judy McNally, 64, from Ottawa showed Charles and Camilla a home-made sign which included pictures of the Princess of Wales on her visit to the country in 2011 along with the message ‘I met your daughter-in-law!’.
The King and Queen then went on to tour a small number of market stalls set up by local producers, with the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, showing their royal guests around.
He asked staff running a falafel stand about their background in Syria and about their recipes, and praised Purebread Bakery for its use of ‘local origin heritage grains’.
At the Garland Sugar Shack, a member of the Royal Household purchased two bottles of maple syrup for the King and Queen to take home with them.
The King was given an update about the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance’s land use strategy, and spoke in French to La Tablee des Chefs about their work with students who were putting together bags of ‘solidarity soup’.
At a stall for Ingenium, a collection of three national museums, he was introduced to a Canadian Arcott sheep and a man riding a stationery bike to demonstrate how it takes 13 people riding one non-stop to power one average Canadian home.
The King was particularly interested in hearing about the sheep, which is considered a Canadian breeding success story, and said that he was ‘proud to be’ a champion of wool.
At a table for the Red Cross, he said: ‘I’m trying to keep up with First Aid. The problem is if you don’t use it, you forget it.’
Before they departed for Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General and the home of the monarchy when in country, Charles and Camilla watched as Orkidstra, a youth orchestra, performed Hymn to Freedom by Oscar Peterson.
The Queen also expressed the royal family’s support for the people of Ukraine today, telling Ukrainians in Canada supporting women in the war-torn country how ‘important’ their efforts are.
Camilla was introduced to a group of volunteers for the Maple Hope Foundation, which runs the ‘Heal a Mother’s Heart’ project.
The initiative supports women in Ukraine who have lost their children or loved ones due to the war, offering recreational and psychological rehabilitation programmes and therapy for grief support.
Scarves made by Ukrainian women are sold, with all proceeds supporting the initiative. After being gifted a scarf by Maryna Popovych, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services [UCSS] which partners with the Foundation, Camilla thanked her and the volunteers, telling them: ‘What you’re doing is so important.’
The couple also visited food stalls from the local Ottawa Farmers’ Market, with Charles admiring locally-grown asparagus and strawberries, before Charles performed a ceremonial puk drop with a children’s street hockey team.
Afterwards they made their way to Rideau Hall, which was built in 1838, it is a ceremonial focal point for Canadian state affairs.
There, Charles took part in a tree planting ceremony, symbolising friendship and co-operation between nations – the fifth to be personally planted by Charles at the residence.
It was a Blue-Beech, a small deciduous tree native to eastern North America offering a brilliant autumn display.
Palace Confidential fan Dianne St Louis from Mono, near Toronto, had waited for several hours to see the King with her husband, Leonard, at Rideau Hall and said: ‘It was absolutely phenomenal to see him. So wonderful. He is leading us and supports us.
‘It was my dream to see his late mother, the Queen, and while I didn’t manage to that, this was just incredible.
‘I spoke to Queen Camilla and told her what’s a thrill it was meet to her, and she said it was lovely it was to meet us.’
Speaking about the timing of the visit, Dianne added: ‘It’s critical. It means a great deal to have the King standing side by side with Canadians. The Royal Family are a beacon of right in the world.’
Her sister, Theresa McKnight, from Mississaugh, Ontario, added: ‘Canada feels threatened and scared. It is very important he is here.’
Santiago Belanger, 19, from, Kanata, Ontario, led the crowed in a rousing, impromptu rendition of God Save The King and O Canada, and said: ‘I love the history, the good and the bad, their dedication to duty, their sense of right. Right now we are at a point when the US wants to homogenise North America. But for Canadians this makes zero sense.
‘We are about sovereignty, we are proud nation. The Royal Family represents that.
‘We gained independence in 1980, we have our independence, but we are so proud of King Charles as our head of state,’ the teen added.
The tree-planting ceremony was followed by official audiences between the King and the Governor General and the Prime Minister and then an official ceremony swearing in Queen Camilla for the first time as a member of the King’s Privy Council for Canada.
During his meeting with Mr Carney, the King jokingly if he had interrupted an important phone call when welcoming him to a private audience at his official residence in Ottawa.
As Mr Carney entered the large drawing room at Rideau Hall, beaming Charles said: ‘By magic! So I hope I haven’t interrupted your telephone call?’
Carney replied: ‘No, not at all. It’s our honour to have you here.’
The King held two 20 minute meetings with Carney, the Governor General of Canada Mary Simon.
Later the Queen joined Mr Carney and his wife Diana Fox for a photo with the King, before Charles and Camilla posed for a picture after the Queen was inducted into the Privy Council.
The King separately met three leaders from Canadian indigenous communities including National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Angajuqqaaq Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and President Victoria Pruden, President of the Métis National Council.
Much as in the UK, it is a group of cabinet ministers, senior officials and prominent Canadians appointed to advise the monarch on issues of importance to the country which still plays a significant symbol role in Canada’s constitutional framework.
Their Majesties will also sign ‘The Golden Book’, a treasured collection of visitor signatures preserved in the library of Parliament.
Each volume is considered a work of art.
Pomp and pageantry aside, the king will be forced to walk a political tightrope over the next 24 hours.
Although he will be on Canadian soil for less than a day for his first trip as the country’s sovereign, the monarch will require all his powers of tact and diplomacy.
For Charles, 76, has already found himself caught in the crosshairs of North America’s second war of independence.
And he has a particularly personal stake in it, as head of state in the UK but also, separately, in Canada, whose interests he is also constitutionally-bound to uphold.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has gone so far to describe the visit as a ‘clear message of sovereignty’ – directly pitting the King against the President.
It is only the second time in 58 years that Canada’s British-based sovereign has opened its parliament, the last being Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 (with the honour normally falling to the Governor-General, the King’s representative in-country).
And the timing of the visit, which has been organised in huge haste and at the first possible opportunity after the recent Canadian federal elections, is not being seen as a co-incidence.
But Buckingham Palace is also acutely aware that the British government is resting much of its hopes for a decidedly smoother relationship with the volatile American leader on his particularly warm personal relationship with the King.
President Trump has, of course, made no secret of his admiration for the British Royal Family and is to be honoured with no less than two forthcoming visits to the UK – one state visit and another semi-private – in under a year.
Many in Canada, it is also worth noting, have found Britain’s attempts to ‘cosy’ up to the US, at Canada’s expense as they see it, as disappointing and disloyal.
So as he touches down on a Canadian governmental plane sent over especially for the occasion, the King knows full well that he is stepping into a political pressure cooker.
And it is anticipated that many in Canada – where republicanism remains a live, although not pressing issue – will be examining the fall-out closely, not least in deciding whether a constitutional monarchy continues to be more a effective and attractive option than a presidential system in the 21st Century and beyond.
However, a source close to Charles has insisted to the Mail that the monarch is more than up to the job.
‘There is no other world leader like him, who is head of state of 14 countries,’ they said.
‘And yes, while it’s an interesting situation with Canada, the UK and the US, what he does have, not least because he is 76 years old and has been doing this for rather a long time, are warm, sincere personal relationships with politician leaders across the globe and across the political spectrum.
‘Setting aside inter-governmental issues, they all hold him in high personal regard.’
Royal aides acknowledge that the timing of the visit means the next 24-hours will be pitted with potential landmines.
All it will take is the actions of a lone protestor or an off-hand comment during a community walkabout to throw the entire trip off course.
But they are confident that Charles will ensure his focus remains on both the constitutional requirements of his role and his desire to use the visit as an opportunity to meet as many Canadians as possible.
The government, whose parliamentary system mirrors that of Britain, have already written his speech outlining their legislative goals for the forthcoming session, although sources say the King plans to ‘top and tail’ it with his own warm and affectionate words about the country he has now visited no less than 20 times.
He will also arrive in a horse and carriage and deliver the speech from a throne that was carved from a walnut tree grown in Windsor Great Park, part of the Crown Estate, emphasising historic Anglo-Canadian ties.
The Mail understands that Charles also plans to use the trip to raise the possibility of another more lengthy visit in the near future, health permitting, having been forced to cancel a planned trip last year as a result of his diagnosis.
It should not be forgotten, of course, that the monarch is still undergoing weekly cancer treatment, although as he himself said recently he is on the ‘better side’ of his ‘journey’.
In fact he will return to the UK on Tuesday night for his weekly session with doctors as early as the following day.
It is a sign of how much this visit means to him that he eagerly accepted the invitation by Mr Carney in what should, it is understood, have been a rare week off work.
But few understand better than the King how much rests on the next 24 hours: as he carefully navigates tensions between two former North American British colonies who took dramatically different approaches to the Crown and now find themselves, politically speaking, at war.
