King Charles's throne speech, deconstructed: 'Not a single word was accidental'
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The unusual situation of the monarch, the official head of state of Canada as well as the United Kingdom, travelling to Canada to deliver the speech seems tied to the annexations threat to Canada's sovereignty from Trump, and many were looking for some defiance from Charles.
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As a piece of theatre, the traditions of the monarchy usually deliver rich pageantry in formal settings, and this didn't disappoint. Wearing a formal pinstripe suit bearing a dense row of medals, leading with his Canadian insignias, Charles sat on a throne carved during his mother's reign, beside Queen Camilla, and flanked by two large Canadian flags.
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'My jaw hit the floor because he is wearing a pinstripe suit and not an admiral's uniform,' said Vovk. When Charles opened the British Parliament he wore the uniform of the British navy, and Vovk thought he might wear an admiral's uniform of the Canadian navy.
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'It was the right move to wear civilian clothing because I think if he would have worn the military uniform that would have been perceived as being too militaristic. He's our constitutional defender, he's not the embodiment of our military defence.'
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'Even Donald Trump, with all his supposed money, can't buy what we just saw — that took 1,000 years of history and a hundred years of Canadian history. That's the magic of monarchy and that's what we just saw.'
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At Charles's feet, almost literally, sat Carney, and a throng of parliamentarians, former prime ministers, Indigenous leaders, Supreme Court judges and special guests crammed inside the chamber and outside at the door.
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Robert Danisch, a University of Waterloo professor who studies political communication and persuasion said that arrangement was poor: 'I thought Mark Carney looked quite small and like he was supplicating himself to the king. I don't think that was a good visual for a new prime minister.'
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The proceedings reflected the now-strange traditions that stem from the sometimes-bloody development of the monarchy and democratic parliamentary traditions inherited from the British.
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Charles' voice was strong, his enunciation clear.
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'His delivery was excellent in the sense that this is a man who's 76 plus he's suffering and in treatment for cancer,' said Milnes. Danisch said the delivery was clear but a bit boring and flat.
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Charles spoke alternatively in English and French. His French was good.
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The speech also specifically praised the French contribution, always a thorny part of the monarch's relationship with Quebec, saying: 'The French language and the Quebec culture are at the heart of the Canadian identity. They define the country that Canadians and I love so much.'
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THE SPEECH
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The words should matter the most, although when the King rolls into town, that might be debated. The speech itself reflected the awkward hybrid of the government's messaging to the voters and the high-minded ideals espoused, at least nominally, by the sovereign.
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