Latest news with #BuckinghamPalace
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
King Charles and Prince Harry reconciliation ‘extremely unlikely' during upcoming Canada trip: expert
Several royal experts believe that any hopes of a royal reconciliation between King Charles and Prince Harry can be forgotten. The king, 76, and queen, 77, will arrive in Canada on May 26 and depart on May 27. And while the couple will be on the same continent as the Duke of Sussex, who lives in California, there are reportedly no plans for father and son to have a heartfelt reunion behind closed doors. Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. 'Prince Harry is the king's flesh and blood, so of course he would like some sort of reconciliation with his youngest son,' British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard claimed to Fox News Digital. 'However, it's been over five years since Megxit, and still, Prince Harry is full of animosity,' Chard claimed. 'Prince Harry has blown all trust and any reconciliation with his father and the royal family for the moment.' On May 2nd, Harry's rift with the royal family burst into the open once more when he gave a raw television interview to the BBC after losing a court case over his security. In a long and, at times, emotional conversation, the 40-year-old said he wants reconciliation, but his father won't speak to him because of 'this security stuff,' a legal wrangle over protection for the prince when he is in Britain. 'This, at the heart of it, is a family dispute,' he has been estranged from his family since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to the U.S., alleging hostility and racist attitudes by the press and royal establishment. Harry's 2023 tell-all memoir, 'Spare,' stuffed with private details and embarrassing revelations, made things worse. Sources close to the prince previously claimed to People magazine that the king, who was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, won't respond to Harry's letters or calls. British royal expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital that it was always 'extremely unlikely' that the king would have met with Harry during his Canada visit. 'Harry has destroyed any trust with his public airing of grievances in his security dispute, as this is a constitutional matter,' Fordwich explained. 'King Charles cannot have a private conversation with his wayward son without the fear of Harry revealing to the media the content of such a private family discussion,' Fordwich claimed. 'There is no sign of reconciliation. Harry's statements reflect a sense of resignation regarding the lamentable state of their relationship, which remains deeply fractured.' 'Harry has willingly and knowingly caused pain and public damage via his actions, so the royal family views him as a 'loose cannon,' hence their reluctance to engage with him further,' Fordwich claimed. 'In particular, his public comments regarding his father's health and security were viewed as highly inappropriate, as well as counterproductive.' However, some royal experts believe there are more practical reasons why the king would skip a meeting with his son. 'It's certainly tempting to imagine a spontaneous reunion,' Shannon Felton Spence, a former British public affairs official, told Fox News Digital. 'But royal trips — especially those abroad — are planned with military precision, often months in advance,' she pointed out. 'Every moment is accounted for, every engagement tightly choreographed, and every detail managed with the gravitas of a diplomatic mission. These are not the kinds of trips where one can simply 'pop down' for a personal visit, no matter how close the geography may seem.' 'While the proximity may raise eyebrows … physical closeness doesn't always translate to meaningful contact,' Felton Spence shared. 'Whether the king and his son will find a moment to connect remains to be seen, but … it's likely less a snub and more a reflection of the constraints and priorities that define royal travel.' Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner agreed. 'It would set a precedent for them changing plans at the last minute,' Turner told Fox News Digital. 'Protocol and planning are set for any overseas visit months in advance. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, then they are set in stone.' Charles made his first official visit to Canada in 1970, People magazine reported. He most recently visited the country in 2022 with Queen Camilla to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. Still, several royal experts argued that if the king had planned to meet with Harry, it would have leaked to the press. Harry himself has spoken about his father's condition as Buckingham Palace gives infrequent updates. Harry has met his father only once, briefly, since his diagnosis. 'I don't know how much longer my father has,' Harry told the BBC. But Harry said that what's souring the relationship now is a decision to remove his police protection detail after he stopped being a working royal. The Court of Appeal in London rejected Harry's bid to restore the protection, saying a government committee was justified in deciding that security should be assessed on a case-by-case basis whenever Harry visits the U.K. He suggested that his father was part of the problem, saying that he had asked the king 'to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.' Harry's memoir scattered bitterness, blaming his father, stepmother and his elder brother Prince William, heir to the British throne. Still, he told the BBC that he could forgive his family. 'I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point in continuing to fight anymore,' said Harry. Chard argued that if Harry were to 'show humility' and do the reverse – apologize to his father – tensions could ease with 'certain members of his family.' 'His actions have created significant damage to the institution, leading to a broader discussion about the future of the monarchy,' said Chard. '[After he apologizes], only then will King Charles endeavor to arrange a private meet-up with his son, away from prying eyes and ears.' 'Is Prince Harry stuck in a cycle of grief? He certainly seems unhappy,' Chard reflected. 'For a meeting to take place, Harry needs to move on from the stage where life is not fair, learn to listen, accept responsibility and stop his unscrupulous behavior, blaming his family for everything. Accepting the reality that he hasn't won certain cases and moving on will also do him the world of good.' 'Harry would have everything to gain by flying to meet with his father [privately] as his words have indicated he needs and wants reconciliation,' added Fordwich. Harry claimed that he and his family are endangered when visiting Britain because of hostility aimed at him and Meghan on social media and through relentless hounding by the U.K. press. He and Meghan are raising their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in California. Harry admitted he 'can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K.' 'It's really quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland,' he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sky News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
King Charles arrives in Canada for first visit as head of state
King Charles has arrived in Canada for his first visit as the country's head of state. The 76-year-old, who is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, landed in Ottawa shortly after 1pm (6pm UK time). The King is set to attend a community event at Lansdowne Park, a 40-acre urban park with several heritage sites, and a ceremonial tree planting at Rideau Hall, where he will meet with newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney. Later on Monday, Queen Camilla, who is accompanying her husband on the trip, will be sworn in as a member of the Canadian Privy Council. 1:51 The royals hope their two-day visit to the Commonwealth nation will be "impactful", according to Buckingham Palace. On Tuesday, Charles will attend the state opening of the Canadian parliament and set out the government's legislative agenda in a speech, an honour usually reserved to the governor general. He is only the second monarch, after his mother Queen Elizabeth II, to do so. The late queen delivered the speech at the state opening of the Canadian parliament in October 1957, her first visit to the country as head of state. 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." The King opening Canada's parliament was a "clear message of sovereignty" and "not coincidental", Mr Carney said after revealing that Canadians "weren't impressed" by the decision of the UK government to offer Donald Trump an unprecedented second state visit to the UK. Mr Carney said the invitation Sir Keir Starmer handed to the US president earlier this year"cut across clear messages" that the Canadian government was trying to send to the White House in response to their threats against Canada's sovereignty, including Mr Trump's idea for it to be America's 51st state.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
King Charles III's visit to Canada: Live updates, itinerary as monarch and Queen Camilla kick off tour in Ottawa
King Charles and Queen Camila's visit to Canada will last two days, May 26 and May 27. The significant — but brief — trip will be Charles' first since becoming King and his 20th overall. Charles and Camila are expected to land in Ottawa in the early afternoon on Monday. The royal duo's visit will culminate with King Charles delivering the throne speech on Tuesday. "This historic honour matches the weight of our times," Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this month. Charles will deliver the speech from the throne as threats from U.S. President Donald Trump calling for Canada to become the 51st state continue. One expert told Yahoo Canada the royal visit is as much symbolic as it is a message to Trump. Yahoo Canada will cover King Charles' visit to Canada as he and Queen Camila arrive, attend public events in and around Ottawa, and depart on Tuesday afternoon. King Charles III is more than just the British Royal Family monarch and Canada's Head of State. The 76-year-old is a husband, father, grandfather and patron to more than 400 charities. From his passion for the environment to his love of painting, keep reading to learn everything you've ever wanted to know about the King — including his parenting style, hobbies and star sign. Show me more King Charles facts. In February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced King Charles began treatment after being diagnosed with cancer. A statement read that King Charles had 'been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.' King Charles resumed official royal duties in April 2024 and has been continuing his cancer treatment for more than a year now. King Charles held a reception at Buckingham Palace last month for organizations that raise cancer awareness. In a statement beforehand, King Charles reflected on his own cancer diagnosis: 'Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones.' Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has released a statement ahead of the visit to Ottawa by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. "The Royal Visit is a reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown – one forged over generations, shaped by shared histories and grounded in common values. A bond that, over time, has evolved, just as Canada has, to reflect the strength, diversity and confidence of our people," Carney said in the statement. Carney noted that Tuesday's throne speech, usually delivered by the Governor General but exceptionally and historically will be delivered by King Charles, will outline the government's plan "to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build the strongest economy in the G7, to bring down the cost of living, and to keep communities safe." When King Charles does it, it will be only the third time in history a monarch has delivered the speech from the throne to open a new session of Parliament. Queen Elizabeth did it twice, in 1957 and 1977, her Silver Jubilee. The speech from the throne, or throne speech, is usually delivered by the Governor General to open a session of Parliament. Though the speech outlines a government's direction and goals, King Charles' address is unlikely to veer into political territory or comment on tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump. One expert told the BBC the King's presence could be significant enough, as Trump "has a lot of admiration for the monarchy. He is impressed by the royals." Royal visits are a spectacle — especially when it comes to fashion. It's not uncommon for members of the Royal Family to practise diplomatic dressing when travelling to show respect to their host country. Royals have shown their love for Canada in many ways, but their favourite way might be through their clothes. We've dug through the archives to share the creative ways royals like Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and Catherine, Princess of Wales have paid tribute to Canada in the past. See the full list here King Charles and Queen Camilla's royal visit to Ottawa is more than just ceremonial, according to two experts who are closely watching the couple's trip to the nation's capital. Former CBC Radio managing editor Jeffrey Dvorkin — an expert on public interest in the royal family in Canada — and constitutional expert Errol Mendes, believe the trip sends a message to Washington and serves as a reminder to Canadians. 'This is as much about sending a message to the Trump White House as it is to announce that a new prime minister is in charge,' Dvorkin told Yahoo News Canada. 'It is a sign that Canada is starting to limit its connections to the United States,' he added. Mendes, an expert on Canada's relationship with the Crown as a constitutional monarchy, agrees the visit signals a deliberate pivot by Prime Minister Mark Carney at a time when tensions run high with the United States. Mendes views the royal presence in Ottawa as a 'signal to Trump that Canada could never be for sale,' and a push by Carney to reinforce Canada's identity as a sovereign state which will seek alliances far beyond its southern neighbour, should it come to that. Tradition meets political symbolism It is a tradition for the monarch to remain politically neutral in his throne speech, despite the above motive behind inviting the King and Queen to Ottawa. However, as Mendes told Yahoo News Canada, 'the King may surprise us by stating in a couched manner that Canada's legal and soft power moral standing makes it impossible to be owned by any other nation as his mother and father did in the past.' A civics lesson, too For Dvorkin, the royal visit will also act as a reminder of Canada's democratic institutions to Canadians. 'Many Canadians, especially young Canadians, don't really know much about how government works,' he said, highlighting a civic gap the monarchy's visit might help spotlight. While his May 2025 visit to Canada is his first as King, Charles has visited Canada on official royal duties 19 times, most recently in May 2022 as part of his mother's, Queen Elizabeth, Platinum Jubilee. King Charles' visit to Canada in 2025 will be his 20th. Because he was only Prince at the time, the last visit by the sovereign dates back to 2010, when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's tour to Canada included stops in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Ontario. His first-ever tour as prince dates back to July 1970. He toured Ottawa before joining his family — Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne — who were on an official trip to Manitoba. The province was celebrating the centennial of its entry into Confederation. Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, were joined by their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, in Toronto in October 1991. In 2022, part of a royal tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, the then-Prince Charles and Camilla's three-day tour of Canada included stops in Northwest Territories, Newfound and Labrador, and Ottawa. A detailed itinerary of King Charles and Queen Camila's two-day visit to Canada has been released. The couple is scheduled to land in Ottawa in the early afternoon of Monday, May 26. At 1:50 p.m. King Charles and Queen Camila are expected at a public event in Landsdowne Park where they will visit a farmers market. The event ends with the King dropping the puck for a road hockey game. This event is open to the public. At 2:50 p.m., King Charles and Queen Camila will travel to Rideau Hall, the monarchs' residence while they are visiting Canada. King Charles will attend a tree planting ceremony. This event is open to the public. King Charles will then hold audiences with the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, followed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, both at Rideau Hall. On Tuesday May 27, King Charles and Queen Camila will travel to the Senate of Canada building at 9:50 a.m. This event is open to the public. The couple will be carried in Canada's State Landau by horses of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wellington St. They will arrive at the Senate building by 10:15 a.m., greeted by a 21-gun salute. This event is open to the public. At 11 a.m., King Charles will open the 45th Parliament with the speech from the throne, which is usually delivered by the Governor General. This speech opens every new session of Parliament. While details of the speech have not been made public, Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles' speech from the throne will be non-political and he will not comment on Trump's call to make Canada the 51st state. King Charles III is more than just the British Royal Family monarch and Canada's Head of State. The 76-year-old is a husband, father, grandfather and patron to more than 400 charities. From his passion for the environment to his love of painting, keep reading to learn everything you've ever wanted to know about the King — including his parenting style, hobbies and star sign. Show me more King Charles facts. In February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced King Charles began treatment after being diagnosed with cancer. A statement read that King Charles had 'been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.' King Charles resumed official royal duties in April 2024 and has been continuing his cancer treatment for more than a year now. King Charles held a reception at Buckingham Palace last month for organizations that raise cancer awareness. In a statement beforehand, King Charles reflected on his own cancer diagnosis: 'Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones.' Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has released a statement ahead of the visit to Ottawa by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. "The Royal Visit is a reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown – one forged over generations, shaped by shared histories and grounded in common values. A bond that, over time, has evolved, just as Canada has, to reflect the strength, diversity and confidence of our people," Carney said in the statement. Carney noted that Tuesday's throne speech, usually delivered by the Governor General but exceptionally and historically will be delivered by King Charles, will outline the government's plan "to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build the strongest economy in the G7, to bring down the cost of living, and to keep communities safe." When King Charles does it, it will be only the third time in history a monarch has delivered the speech from the throne to open a new session of Parliament. Queen Elizabeth did it twice, in 1957 and 1977, her Silver Jubilee. The speech from the throne, or throne speech, is usually delivered by the Governor General to open a session of Parliament. Though the speech outlines a government's direction and goals, King Charles' address is unlikely to veer into political territory or comment on tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump. One expert told the BBC the King's presence could be significant enough, as Trump "has a lot of admiration for the monarchy. He is impressed by the royals." Royal visits are a spectacle — especially when it comes to fashion. It's not uncommon for members of the Royal Family to practise diplomatic dressing when travelling to show respect to their host country. Royals have shown their love for Canada in many ways, but their favourite way might be through their clothes. We've dug through the archives to share the creative ways royals like Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and Catherine, Princess of Wales have paid tribute to Canada in the past. See the full list here King Charles and Queen Camilla's royal visit to Ottawa is more than just ceremonial, according to two experts who are closely watching the couple's trip to the nation's capital. Former CBC Radio managing editor Jeffrey Dvorkin — an expert on public interest in the royal family in Canada — and constitutional expert Errol Mendes, believe the trip sends a message to Washington and serves as a reminder to Canadians. 'This is as much about sending a message to the Trump White House as it is to announce that a new prime minister is in charge,' Dvorkin told Yahoo News Canada. 'It is a sign that Canada is starting to limit its connections to the United States,' he added. Mendes, an expert on Canada's relationship with the Crown as a constitutional monarchy, agrees the visit signals a deliberate pivot by Prime Minister Mark Carney at a time when tensions run high with the United States. Mendes views the royal presence in Ottawa as a 'signal to Trump that Canada could never be for sale,' and a push by Carney to reinforce Canada's identity as a sovereign state which will seek alliances far beyond its southern neighbour, should it come to that. Tradition meets political symbolism It is a tradition for the monarch to remain politically neutral in his throne speech, despite the above motive behind inviting the King and Queen to Ottawa. However, as Mendes told Yahoo News Canada, 'the King may surprise us by stating in a couched manner that Canada's legal and soft power moral standing makes it impossible to be owned by any other nation as his mother and father did in the past.' A civics lesson, too For Dvorkin, the royal visit will also act as a reminder of Canada's democratic institutions to Canadians. 'Many Canadians, especially young Canadians, don't really know much about how government works,' he said, highlighting a civic gap the monarchy's visit might help spotlight. While his May 2025 visit to Canada is his first as King, Charles has visited Canada on official royal duties 19 times, most recently in May 2022 as part of his mother's, Queen Elizabeth, Platinum Jubilee. King Charles' visit to Canada in 2025 will be his 20th. Because he was only Prince at the time, the last visit by the sovereign dates back to 2010, when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's tour to Canada included stops in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Ontario. His first-ever tour as prince dates back to July 1970. He toured Ottawa before joining his family — Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne — who were on an official trip to Manitoba. The province was celebrating the centennial of its entry into Confederation. Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, were joined by their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, in Toronto in October 1991. In 2022, part of a royal tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, the then-Prince Charles and Camilla's three-day tour of Canada included stops in Northwest Territories, Newfound and Labrador, and Ottawa. A detailed itinerary of King Charles and Queen Camila's two-day visit to Canada has been released. The couple is scheduled to land in Ottawa in the early afternoon of Monday, May 26. At 1:50 p.m. King Charles and Queen Camila are expected at a public event in Landsdowne Park where they will visit a farmers market. The event ends with the King dropping the puck for a road hockey game. This event is open to the public. At 2:50 p.m., King Charles and Queen Camila will travel to Rideau Hall, the monarchs' residence while they are visiting Canada. King Charles will attend a tree planting ceremony. This event is open to the public. King Charles will then hold audiences with the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, followed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, both at Rideau Hall. On Tuesday May 27, King Charles and Queen Camila will travel to the Senate of Canada building at 9:50 a.m. This event is open to the public. The couple will be carried in Canada's State Landau by horses of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wellington St. They will arrive at the Senate building by 10:15 a.m., greeted by a 21-gun salute. This event is open to the public. At 11 a.m., King Charles will open the 45th Parliament with the speech from the throne, which is usually delivered by the Governor General. This speech opens every new session of Parliament. While details of the speech have not been made public, Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles' speech from the throne will be non-political and he will not comment on Trump's call to make Canada the 51st state.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Tomorrow, Canadians will be glad to have the King on their side
Tomorrow the King opens the Canadian parliament in Ottawa. Who would ever have thought this would be an exciting moment? Canada – and monarchical speeches – are notoriously placid. Yet exciting it is and, I think, is intended to be. When Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister of Canada in March, Buckingham Palace laid on an unprecedented piece of theatre in London. Mr Carney was sworn in there by the King. His Majesty also presented his Black Rod of the Canadian Senate with something referred to as the ceremonial sword of Canada, an object of which no one had previously heard. All this – culminating in today's speech – is designed to assert Canadian sovereignty. For many years, that very notion decayed because the external threats to Canada seemed so minimal. Canadians agonised about internal questions like Québéc separatism and the rights of indigenous peoples. To many, the monarchy seemed marginal; to some, even offensive. The woke Mr Trudeau made a point of removing an official portrait of the then monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and sticking up a couple of Québécois paintings instead. But countries think harder about themselves when threatened. Now that threat looms, in the substantial form of Donald Trump. He calls for Canada to become the 51st state of the Union; he enjoyed labelling the outgoing prime minister 'governor Trudeau'. His proposals sound like one of those 'usurpations' of which the American Declaration of Independence complained. The perverse political effect of Trumpery was that his threat deprived the Canadian Conservatives of their expected election victory. Mr Carney, though a full-throated Davos man and ardent Remainer when governor of the Bank of England, was able to keep the Liberal Party in power. The great disdainer of Britain's sovereignty suddenly became the righteous defender of Canada's, thanks to Trump. Why does the monarchy matter in this? Because when countries are challenged from outside, their legitimacy is put in question. Mr Trump does this, deliberately and disgracefully, in his suggestion that Volodymyr Zelensky is not the legitimate president of Ukraine, citing the fact that Zelensky has postponed elections during the war with Russia. He has not spoken so boldly about Canada, but the implied disrespect is there. Who better than the King, whose role and character Mr Trump admires, to administer an implied rebuke? When the King's Speech is made in the British Parliament, it is a strictly constitutional event. The King simply reads out the Government's legislative programme. In the Canadian case, the tradition is different. The King is free, within careful limits, to give some thoughts of his own. I am sure he will not be so foolish as to attack the President today. His standing derives partly from his good relations with Mr Trump, symbolised by the royal invitation, eagerly accepted, to pay a state visit to Britain. More important and lasting is the plain constitutional fact that he is King of Canada. Since the failure of the United States to win Canada in the 1812 war, it has been a settled thing (leaving aside the question of Alaska) that the entire North American landmass is occupied by only two entities – the nation that threw off British colonial rule by revolution and its northern neighbour which remained loyal to the British Crown even after gaining full independence. It needs repeating that this peaceful coexistence has been immensely beneficial to both parties. Trust is reaffirmed in practice by the 'Five Eyes', the intimate intelligence alliance, forged out of victory in 1945, between the United States and four monarchies under the same King – Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The King is the best spokesman and symbol of all this. And in these strange times, where America itself is part of the global turmoil, it will make sense for the strong ties between the four other nations to strengthen. There are potential pitfalls, however. Earlier this month, Joseph Nye died. He was the political scientist who invented the useful concept of 'soft power'. He defined it as 'the ability to get what one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment'. Nye was right, but recent British governments have become so excited by soft power that they forget it is the handmaid of hard power, not the substitute for it. Countries in the 'Global South', for example, have become increasingly irritated by Britain's tendency to tell them to improve their attitude to LGBT rights. Such nations like to say that China gives them investment whereas all Britain gives them is a lecture. The fiasco of the Chagos islands handover is a textbook case of how soft power can make hard power trickle away into the sand. In the case of our monarchy, there is a particular issue here – the difference between the monarch as King of Canada, Australia etc and – which is the origin of his authority – as King of the United Kingdom. There is the potential for a clash if, say, Canada, wants the King to do something which might not accord with British interests. So far, so good, however. A soft-power answer can help to turn away some of Trump's hard-power wrath. As the BBC Today programme reported the Canadian story yesterday, it kept saying that his Ottawa speech was 'the first time the monarch has done this for 68 years'. Not so, Elizabeth II spoke from the Canadian throne twice, in 1957 and 1977. Surely the collective memory of the Corporation which declares 'Nation shall speak peace unto nation', should have been able dredge up that fact.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
The King and Queen are coming to Canada today. Live updates here.
King Charles III attends the presentation of the New Standards at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Monday May 12, 2025. (Aaron Chown/Pool via AP) King Charles III and Queen Camilla are on their way to Ottawa, where the monarch will soon usher a new session of Parliament. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the royal visit in his post-election victory press conference. He said it 'underscores the sovereignty' of Canada after U.S. President Trump threatened annexation. The King will deliver his throne speech tomorrow. Today, Canada is rolling out the red carpet for the royal couple in Ottawa. Here are the latest updates. What is a throne speech? This will be King Charles' 20th visit to Canada, but his first time delivering the throne speech. The speech from the throne opens each session of Parliament. It outlines the Carney government's priorities for the session, which cannot begin until the speech is delivered. Typically, Canada's governor general reads the speech as the monarch's representative. In 1957 and 1977, Queen Elizabeth was in Canada and chose to read the speech herself. What does the King think about annexation? While Trump's annexation threats made headlines around the world, Buckingham Palace has remained silent. Asked directly for the palace's response in March, a spokesperson told CTV News that it's 'not something we would comment on.' While some Canadians would have liked to hear the King weigh in, the Statute of Westminster prohibits the monarch from acting outside of the advice of the minister of a given dominion, which for Canada is Carney. Earlier this month, Carney said he was the one to ask the King to visit, but did not specify whether he asked him to weigh in on Canada's relationship the U.S. Last week: King, Queen visit Canada House in London King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited Canada House in London last Tuesday. The visit was meant to mark Canada House's 100th anniversary. Home to Canada's diplomatic mission to the U.K., the grand building on London's iconic Trafalgar Square also showcases Canadian art, music and culture. Charles and Camilla met with officials including Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K. Ralph Goodale, who presented the monarch with a ceremonial key to Canada House. Charles' great-grandfather, King George V, was given a key made of Canadian bronze, silver and nickel when Canada House officially opened in June 1925. A video posted to the Royal Family's Instagram page shows the royals touring the building and chatting with Mounties and staff while a remix of Celine Dion's pop hit 'I'm Alive' plays in the background.
