Charles lands in Canada for whistlestop visit amid country's tensions with Trump
King Charles and Queen Camilla have kicked off their whistlestop trip to Canada, which has been described as a sign of strength and support for the country amid a war of words with Donald Trump. The royal couple landed in Ottawa this evening marking the first time that Charles has been on Canadian soil since he became King and head of state of the country.
The King and Queen were greeted by Canadian Mounties and flag waving schoolchildren. The Queen wore a pale pink fringed Anna Valentine coat dress, Chanel shoes and, in a diplomatic nod to her hosts, a diamond maple leaf brooch, which was originally a gift from King George VI to the Queen Mother.
Schoolchildren from Ontario and Quebec joined dignitaries including the Governor General, prime minister Carney and representatives of Canada's three indigenous groups, to welcome the King and Queen before they were taken to a local park to kick off a community event. Senior aides at Buckingham Palace said although the visit was indeed short at just two days, the King would hope its impact would be felt deeply by Canadians amid rising tensions with the United States.
Later today, the King will hold audiences with Canada's first indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon, the King's representative in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney, and there will be a short ceremony to swear in Camilla as a member of the Canadian Privy Council.
Charles and Camilla's events will conclude today with a short reception for lieutenant governors from Canada's 10 provinces and the territorial commissioners from the three territories.
The trip comes in the wake of verbal aggression from US President Donald Trump, who claimed that Canada should become the 51st state of America, prompting outrage. When new when Canadian PM Mr Carney met Trump at the White House in the days after his election victory last month, he told him in no uncertain terms Canada is "not for sale".
However, the unprecedented trip, which will be Charles' first to Canada as King, will also see him walk a diplomatic tightrope. He faces the difficult task of balancing his duties as Canada's head of state and his role in Keir Starmer's attempt at maintaining strong relations between the UK and the US.
The centrepiece of the trip to Canada will be tomorrow (Tuesday) when Charles and Camilla will attend the state opening of parliament, similar to the UK parliament's opening ceremony but without the formality or royal regalia found in Britain. They will travel to the state openingin the 1902 State Landau carriage, while Charles will sit on a throne carved from a walnut tree from Windsor Great Park.
The late Queen was the first sovereign to deliver a speech at the state opening of the Canadian parliament in October 1957, her first visit to the country as head of state.
During their two-day trip, Charles will become only the second monarch, after Queen Elizabeth II, to attend the state opening of Canada's parliament and deliver the speech setting out the government's legislative agenda. Charles will be delivering the words of the Canadian government, similar to a UK State opening of parliament, but commentators will be looking for any veiled references to Trump.
The King istravelling with his wife less than a month after former Bank of England governor Mark Carney's Liberal Party election victory, fuelled in part by its opposition to the US leader.
Mr Carney's rival, populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, was in the lead until Mr Trump took aim at Canada with a trade war and threats to annex the country as the 51st state, comments denounced by the ex-governor. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson commenting about the trip has said: "The King and Queen are very much looking forward to the programme, mindful that it is a short visit but hopefully an impactful one."
Steven Guilbeault, Canada's minister of identity and culture, said: "His Majesty's delivery of the Speech from the Throne to open the 45th Parliament is a momentous occasion, one that brings Canadians together in celebration of our rich history, our democracy and the institutions that serve us all.
"This visit offers an opportunity to showcase the special relationship between Canada and the Crown, while also highlighting the strength, diversity and unity that define us on the world stage."
As the royals get back to their normal duties after a difficult year, the Mirror has launched its very own Royal WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news on the UK's most famous family.
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Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
NATO allies agree huge spending boost as US demands they are 'ready' for Russia
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded GDP members of NATO be 'combat-ready' or risk losing US support amid escalating security concerns over Russia's aggression NATO allies will increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said. The American also demanded that members of the organisation be 'combat-ready' or risk losing US support amid escalating security concerns over Russia 's aggression. Speaking ahead of a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday, Hegseth emphasised that the alliance must move beyond symbolic gestures. He said: 'The commitment is there. Five per cent on defence spending. When you consider the threats that we face, the urgency in the world, it's critical. We don't need more flags. We need more fighting formations. We don't need more conferences. We need more capabilities. Hard power.' The call for a sharp increase from the current NATO guideline of two per cent has gained support across Europe and Canada, but places pressure on countries like the UK. The government currently spends around two per cent of GDP on defence but faces growing demands to raise that figure to at least three per cent, or even 3.5 per cent, to maintain good relations with Washington. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to raise spending to three per cent when economic conditions allow, though no timeline has been set. Dutch Prime Minister and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte echoed Hegseth's urgency. 'The expectation is that on the European side of NATO and the Canadian side of NATO, if we think that we can keep ourselves safe sticking with the two per cent, forget it,' he said. 'Yes, the next three to five years, but then we are in great difficulty. And the US rightly expects us to spend much more to defend ourselves with their help, but also to equalise, which is only fair with what the US is spending on defence.' Rutte also highlighted the financial challenge. He added: 'All these investments have to be financed.' NATO ministers were set to approve 'capability targets' - detailed goals for each of the 32 member nations to purchase priority weapons and equipment, including air defence systems, long-range missiles, artillery, drones, and strategic enablers like air-to-air refuelling and heavy transport. Each nation's plan remains classified. The targets stem from a 2023 NATO blueprint aimed at countering threats from Russia or other major adversaries. NATO plans to maintain up to 300,000 troops ready to deploy to the alliance's eastern flank within 30 days, though experts doubt the allies can yet muster such forces effectively. The member countries are assigned defensive roles across three zones: the Arctic and North Atlantic, central Europe north of the Alps, and southern Europe. The timeline to meet these capability targets is within five to ten years - a timeframe NATO believes necessary given Russia's ongoing military build-up, which could accelerate if Western sanctions ease or a peace deal ends the war in Ukraine. 'We are going to gather here again and say 'okay, we failed a bit,' and then maybe we start learning Russian?' Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė warned, highlighting fears of a premature Russian strike on NATO territory. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson stressed the importance of the current moment: 'We also know that after an armistice or a peace agreement, of course, Russia is going to allocate more forces closer to our vicinity. Therefore, it's extremely important that the alliance use these couple of years now when Russia is still limited by its force posture in and around Ukraine.' The Netherlands, for example, is planning to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said the country expects to purchase more tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and long-range missile systems such as the US-made Patriot missiles capable of targeting aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range ballistic missiles. The UK currently spends 2.3 per cent of GDP on defence and has committed to raising this to 2.5 per cent by 2027. The government has set an ambition to then increase it to three per cent by 2034. The Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated that reaching three per cent of GDP by 2030 would cost the UK government an additional £17.3 billion. In the 2024/25 financial year, the UK spent £56.9 billion on defence, increasing to £59.8 billion in 2025/26 According to 2024 figures, Poland was the top military spender as a share of its economy for the second year running. It's forecast to spend 4.1 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) - the total value of goods and services produced. Estonia was in second place at 3.4 per cent with the US in third place at 3.4 per cent, which is about the same level as it has been spending for the last decade. The UK came ninth on the list with 2.3 per cent. The average for NATO members in Europe and Canada is estimated at 2.0 per cent. If the UK were to pay five per cent of its GDP to NATO, taxpayers would be hit with a £128 billion bill.
Powys County Times
14 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Fact check: More people leave than arrive on current youth mobility schemes
On the BBC's Today programme on May 19, from around two hours and 21 minutes, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the UK's youth mobility arrangements with other countries reduce net migration. Asked 'how do you know there will be fewer people coming here than leaving?' Mr Reynolds said: 'Well, I've got 13 schemes in action already and that's the evidence of them.' He later added: 'I tell you the evidence of the current schemes just so you know is that they're a net negative on immigration.' Evaluation Around 24,400 youth mobility visas were issued to people wanting to come to the UK in 2024. Although figures are patchy for how many Britons go abroad, data from just three countries – Australia, New Zealand and Canada – suggests that 68,495 British citizens travelled to those countries in 2024 (the Australian data is for the 12 months to the end of June 2024). That would suggest that Mr Reynolds is right. However it does not take into account that Britons going abroad on these temporary visas will sooner or later come back, as will those who come to the UK. It is also not clear that this pattern will repeat in any similar deal with the EU. The UK population is much larger than those of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, so there are more Britons who can go to those countries than can come here. With the EU that is reversed. The facts How many people come to the UK on a youth mobility visa? Government data shows there were 24,437 people who were handed a youth mobility visa last year. Most of these were from one of the 13 countries with which the UK has a reciprocal arrangement. A small handful of visas – 131 in total – were for people from countries other than the 13. The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford has suggested that these are the result of errors in data recording, or due to people having dual nationalities. The top three countries that sent people to the UK on youth mobility visas between January and December 2024 were Australia (9,754 visas), New Zealand (4,304 visas) and Canada (3,060 visas). How many Britons go abroad on youth mobility type schemes? Figures are patchy on how many British people have gone abroad on a youth mobility scheme. The Department for Business and Trade was unable to share data. Australia publishes a twice-yearly report into what it calls its working holiday visa programme. That is the Australian equivalent to the UK's youth mobility scheme. The latest such report covered the 12 months to the end of June 2024. That report showed that Australia issued 48,973 working holiday visas to UK citizens. Data from New Zealand is available on the website of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Using its migration data explorer produces a spreadsheet which shows that there were 9,486 working holiday visas granted by New Zealand to UK citizens in between January and December 2024. Canadian data does not appear to be publicly available, but the figures were provided to the PA news agency by the Canadian Department for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. The data shows that in 2024 there were 9,972 work permits issued to UK and UK overseas territories citizens under the country's working holiday scheme, and a further 64 people had their permits extended. How do incoming youth mobility visas compare to outgoing? Net migration is a figure which subtracts the number of people coming into the country from the number of people leaving. The data cited above suggests that while 9,754 Australians came to the UK on youth mobility visas, 48,973 Britons went in the opposite direction. It must be noted that the time periods measured here are different, the Australian data is for the 12 months ending June 2024, while the UK data is for the 12 months ending December 2024. Meanwhile the data suggests that 4,304 New Zealanders came to the UK while 9,486 Britons went in the other direction. Data further shows that 3,060 Canadians came to the UK in 2024, while 9,972 Britons went in the other direction. This suggests that for each of these three countries the youth mobility schemes are – as Mr Reynolds suggested – reducing net migration. In fact Australia alone appears to receive twice as many Britons (48,973) as all people who the UK receives from all 13 countries added together (24,437). However, it should be noted that because youth mobility schemes are time-limited, Britons going abroad and people who have come to the UK on such visas will eventually be forced to return. This means the UK's inbound migration figures should take into account not just Australians and Canadians – for example – coming to the UK, but also Britons returning from Australia and Canada after their youth mobility visas expire. If it is assumed that everyone returns then over a longer time frame the youth mobility programmes will have a neutral impact on net immigration because every Briton who leaves the UK will come back and every non-Briton who comes to the UK will leave. This does not take into account the people – both Britons abroad and non-Britons in the UK – who apply for a different visa to stay in their adopted country. Do these conclusions also apply to the EU scheme? The impact on net migration of the potential EU scheme will depend on the details of the agreement between London and Brussels. Madeleine Sumption, director at the Migration Observatory, told the PA news agency that the size of the cap on the programme would be vital for the impact on net migration. She said the fact the UK sends more people to Australia, Canada and New Zealand than it receives from them 'probably results from the fact that the UK has a much larger population than they do, so we just have more young people potentially interested in moving'. With the EU scheme, Ms Sumption said, the population sizes are flipped – that is to say the EU's population is much bigger than the UK, leaving more young people who might be willing to come here. Therefore the smaller the cap on the number of visas is, the more likely both the EU and UK will fill their quotas. If both fill their quotas – and the quotas going both ways are the same – then the impact on net migration will be zero. However if the cap is large then it is more likely that there will not be as many Britons going to Europe as are coming in the opposite direction, which will bring up net migration. But, as with the existing schemes, both Britons in Europe and Europeans in the UK will eventually have to leave unless they find another visa, which over the long run should mean that the programme has a neutral impact on net migration. Links BBC – Today, 19/05/2025 Migration Observatory – What is the Youth Mobility Scheme and how does it work? (archived) – Entry clearance visas granted outside the UK (archived page and spreadsheet, using tab Data_Vis_D02) Australian Department of Home Affairs – Visitor visa statistics (archived) Australian Department of Home Affairs – Working Holiday Maker visa program report (archived) New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – Migration data explorer (archived page and downloaded spreadsheet. To download the correct spreadsheet, instructions can be found at (archived): In dataset select 'W1 work decisions', in time period select 'calendar year' and in variables select 'application substream', 'application criteria' and 'decision type')
South Wales Guardian
14 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Fact check: More people leave than arrive on current youth mobility schemes
Asked 'how do you know there will be fewer people coming here than leaving?' Mr Reynolds said: 'Well, I've got 13 schemes in action already and that's the evidence of them.' He later added: 'I tell you the evidence of the current schemes just so you know is that they're a net negative on immigration.' Around 24,400 youth mobility visas were issued to people wanting to come to the UK in 2024. Although figures are patchy for how many Britons go abroad, data from just three countries – Australia, New Zealand and Canada – suggests that 68,495 British citizens travelled to those countries in 2024 (the Australian data is for the 12 months to the end of June 2024). That would suggest that Mr Reynolds is right. However it does not take into account that Britons going abroad on these temporary visas will sooner or later come back, as will those who come to the UK. It is also not clear that this pattern will repeat in any similar deal with the EU. The UK population is much larger than those of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, so there are more Britons who can go to those countries than can come here. With the EU that is reversed. How many people come to the UK on a youth mobility visa? Government data shows there were 24,437 people who were handed a youth mobility visa last year. Most of these were from one of the 13 countries with which the UK has a reciprocal arrangement. A small handful of visas – 131 in total – were for people from countries other than the 13. The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford has suggested that these are the result of errors in data recording, or due to people having dual nationalities. The top three countries that sent people to the UK on youth mobility visas between January and December 2024 were Australia (9,754 visas), New Zealand (4,304 visas) and Canada (3,060 visas). How many Britons go abroad on youth mobility type schemes? Figures are patchy on how many British people have gone abroad on a youth mobility scheme. The Department for Business and Trade was unable to share data. Australia publishes a twice-yearly report into what it calls its working holiday visa programme. That is the Australian equivalent to the UK's youth mobility scheme. The latest such report covered the 12 months to the end of June 2024. That report showed that Australia issued 48,973 working holiday visas to UK citizens. Data from New Zealand is available on the website of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Using its migration data explorer produces a spreadsheet which shows that there were 9,486 working holiday visas granted by New Zealand to UK citizens in between January and December 2024. Canadian data does not appear to be publicly available, but the figures were provided to the PA news agency by the Canadian Department for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. The data shows that in 2024 there were 9,972 work permits issued to UK and UK overseas territories citizens under the country's working holiday scheme, and a further 64 people had their permits extended. How do incoming youth mobility visas compare to outgoing? Net migration is a figure which subtracts the number of people coming into the country from the number of people leaving. The data cited above suggests that while 9,754 Australians came to the UK on youth mobility visas, 48,973 Britons went in the opposite direction. It must be noted that the time periods measured here are different, the Australian data is for the 12 months ending June 2024, while the UK data is for the 12 months ending December 2024. Meanwhile the data suggests that 4,304 New Zealanders came to the UK while 9,486 Britons went in the other direction. Data further shows that 3,060 Canadians came to the UK in 2024, while 9,972 Britons went in the other direction. This suggests that for each of these three countries the youth mobility schemes are – as Mr Reynolds suggested – reducing net migration. In fact Australia alone appears to receive twice as many Britons (48,973) as all people who the UK receives from all 13 countries added together (24,437). However, it should be noted that because youth mobility schemes are time-limited, Britons going abroad and people who have come to the UK on such visas will eventually be forced to return. This means the UK's inbound migration figures should take into account not just Australians and Canadians – for example – coming to the UK, but also Britons returning from Australia and Canada after their youth mobility visas expire. If it is assumed that everyone returns then over a longer time frame the youth mobility programmes will have a neutral impact on net immigration because every Briton who leaves the UK will come back and every non-Briton who comes to the UK will leave. This does not take into account the people – both Britons abroad and non-Britons in the UK – who apply for a different visa to stay in their adopted country. Do these conclusions also apply to the EU scheme? The impact on net migration of the potential EU scheme will depend on the details of the agreement between London and Brussels. Madeleine Sumption, director at the Migration Observatory, told the PA news agency that the size of the cap on the programme would be vital for the impact on net migration. She said the fact the UK sends more people to Australia, Canada and New Zealand than it receives from them 'probably results from the fact that the UK has a much larger population than they do, so we just have more young people potentially interested in moving'. With the EU scheme, Ms Sumption said, the population sizes are flipped – that is to say the EU's population is much bigger than the UK, leaving more young people who might be willing to come here. Therefore the smaller the cap on the number of visas is, the more likely both the EU and UK will fill their quotas. If both fill their quotas – and the quotas going both ways are the same – then the impact on net migration will be zero. However if the cap is large then it is more likely that there will not be as many Britons going to Europe as are coming in the opposite direction, which will bring up net migration. But, as with the existing schemes, both Britons in Europe and Europeans in the UK will eventually have to leave unless they find another visa, which over the long run should mean that the programme has a neutral impact on net migration. BBC – Today, 19/05/2025 Migration Observatory – What is the Youth Mobility Scheme and how does it work? (archived) – Entry clearance visas granted outside the UK (archived page and spreadsheet, using tab Data_Vis_D02) Australian Department of Home Affairs – Visitor visa statistics (archived) Australian Department of Home Affairs – Working Holiday Maker visa program report (archived) New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – Migration data explorer (archived page and downloaded spreadsheet. To download the correct spreadsheet, instructions can be found at (archived): In dataset select 'W1 work decisions', in time period select 'calendar year' and in variables select 'application substream', 'application criteria' and 'decision type') Canadian data provided to PA news agency (archived) Madeleine Sumption profile (archived)
