Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in Canada

~ Saad719

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have just completed their Platinum Jubilee visit to Canada from May 17th to the 19th, during which they visited Newfoundland and Labrador, the Capital Region of Ottawa and the Northwest Territories, on their first visit to Canada since 2017.

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After their arrival in St. John’s, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were officially welcomed to Canada in the presence of Indigenous Leaders at Confederation Building, at which the Prince gave a speech. Afterwards, the Royal Coupe visited Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, to take  part in a solemn moment of reflection and prayer at the Heart Garden with Indigenous Leaders and community members in the spirit of Reconciliation, followed by a meeting with representatives of Campaign for Wool Canada, and the unveiling of a bronze marker at the start of the new Commonwealth Walkway. The Prince and Duchess ended their first day with a visit to the Quidi Vidi Village, seeing the Artisan Studios, before a walkabout of The Wharf, and a visit to the Quidi Vidi Brewery, before the Royal Couple departed for Ottawa.

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On their second day in Canada, the Prince of Wales was invested as an Extraordinary Commander of the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General of Canada, before a National War Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony and a meeting with the Ukrainian community at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Ottawa. In the afternoon, the Prince and Duchess visited the Assumption Elementary School in Vanier, the RCMP Musical Ride, and had a meeting with the Birds Foundation before a discussion on employment and sustainability with Prince’s Trust Canada program participants and a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada, as well as a discussion on sustainable finance in combating climate change and building a net-zero economy. In the evening, Mary Simon, the Governor General of Canada, hosted a Platinum Jubilee Reception for Canadians from various backgrounds at Rideau Hall.

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On their final day in Canada, the Prince and Duchess traveled to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, being their visit with various events with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Community in Dettah, includeing a welcome from Indigenous leaders from across the Northwest Territories, an opening prayer, a drumming circle and a feeding the fire ceremony, after which the Prince had a discussion with local Chiefs and Elders, while the Duchess visited the Kaw Tay Whee School. The Prince then men with members of the Canadian Rangers to mark the organization’s 75th anniversary at Fred Henne Territorial Park while the Duchess visited  a YWCA transitional housing centre for women and their children and had a discussion with climate change experts at Dettah Ice Road; The Prince visited the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre before going to the Ceremonial Circle for a Platinum Jubilee Celebration and a presentation of various plants and flowers that will be included in the Northwest Territories’ Platinum Jubilee Garden. The Prince and Duchess then had a guard of honour and an official farewell as they ended their whirlwind tour.

This whirlwind Royal Tour is representative of the changing role of the Canadian Monarchy. Previous Royal Tours to Canada used to be extensive visits across the country, or of at least a few provinces, but the fact that the Prince and Duchess visited two Provinces and a Territory within three days (in their 70s), is quite extraordinary. There were unexpectedly large crowds in Canada reaffirming their support for the Monarchy, yet there were also signs of a transition, especially with the increased focus on Indigenous People and Reconciliation, a feature especially present due to the new Canadian Governor General who is the first Indigenous person to be the Queen’s representative in Canada. Additionally, there is a move away from more traditional displays of royal pageantry, like carriage rides and banquets, which while unfortunate for those of us who enjoy the pageantry, is a sign of the Royal Family adapting the visit with the demands of the hosts.

The Royal Visit to Canada in 1939 | 1951 | 1957| 1965 | 1967 | 1970 | 1973 | 1976 | 1979 | 1983| 1984| 1986 | 1987| 1991 |1994 | 2002 | 2016 | 2017| Royal Visits to Victoria

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