King and Queen touch down in Canada for royal tour

Telegraph

26-05-2025

The King and Queen have touched down in Ottawa for a flying visit to Canada which has been described as 'more than just a royal tour'.
The King and Queen landed on Monday afternoon, local time, and will spend just 24 hours on Canadian soil on a visit that will include His Majesty delivering a speech to parliament.
The trip has been widely interpreted as a show of Canada's sovereignty in the wake of a threat from Donald Trump, the US president, to annex it.
'Canada has a steadfast defender in our sovereign,' said Mark Carney, the newly elected Canadian prime minister, when the trip was announced. He has repeated that his country was 'not for sale, ever'.
Canada's high commissioner in the UK said the King's visit would 'reinforce the power and the strength' of that message.
'In a subtle way,' the Ottawa Citizen newspaper wrote this weekend, 'the King will be sending a message about Canada's place in the world.'
The Globe and Mail, the national newspaper, called it a chance for the monarchy to find 'new relevance as Trump threatens annexation', saying it was an 'opportune time for King Charles, who has struggled to win over the public'.
The National Post on Monday called it 'more than a just a royal tour'.
The King and Queen were flown from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire by Royal Canadian Air Force jet on Monday.
Landing in Ottawa, the couple were greeted by a guard of honour from the Royal Canadian Dragoons and two of the country's distinctive Mounties.
Among the dignitaries waiting for them were Mr Carney, Mary Simon, the governor general, and Donald Booth, who is the Canadian secretary to the King, and First Nations leaders.
A group of schoolchildren, some of whom are doing their Duke of Edinburgh Award, were invited to the airport, with Lila Graham presenting flowers to the Queen.
The Queen was wearing a diamond maple leaf brooch in honour of Canada.
The piece of jewellery was given to Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother, by George VI. It was later inherited by Elizabeth II.
Event to show 'identity and diversity'
From the airport, the King and Queen will be driven straight to Ottawa's Landsdowne Park for a community event – their chance to meet as many Canadian people as possible during just under 24 hours in the country.
The event will showcase Canada's 'identity and diversity', organisers said, with a market, music, dancing and a street hockey match.
Later, at Rideau Hall – the official residence of the governor general – they will be greeted again by Ms Simon and Mr Carney, planting a tree in the grounds.
The King will then hold audiences with the two officials.
The Queen will be sworn in as a member of the Privy Council, an advisory group for the monarch. The King was formerly on the council during his late mother's reign, as was Prince Philip.
Tuesday will be the pinnacle of the short trip as the King attends the state opening of parliament and delivers the speech from the throne.
While the speech echoes that in the UK Parliament, setting out the priorities of the government, the King is expected to include some personal words about his affection for Canada.
The King will be following in the footsteps of the late Queen in attending the state opening of parliament on his first visit to Canada as sovereign, and will deliver only the third royal speech from its throne.
It comes after the country faced a threat of invasion from its North American neighbour which unified Canadians in outrage, when Mr Trump suggested he would annex it to make it America's 51st state.
'Delicate diplomatic tightrope'
The royal visit, which the palace hopes will be a tour de force of soft power diplomacy, will span two days, with the 76-year-old King – still undergoing cancer treatment – fitting in eight engagements and a speech to Parliament.
He may find himself walking a 'delicate diplomatic tightrope', said a palace source, but could draw on a lifetime of international diplomacy and cross-country friendships to navigate it.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman 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.'
On the morning the King and Queen arrived, the Globe and Mail reported that 'the mood in Ottawa ranged from excitement to indifference'.
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, predicted that the King was 'unlikely to comment directly on the 51st state issue'.
'Yet, his introductory remarks could feature broad statements about Canada's integrity and sovereignty. At least this is what many Canadians would like him to do,' he added.
Historian Robert Bothwell said that the King's speech in parliament 'is a gesture of solidarity and identity that can be construed to be a gesture of support'.
The King, as Prince Charles, has visited Canada 19 times before.
The late Queen read the speech at the state opening of parliament in 1957 and delivered a speech from the throne in 1977.