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Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
A timeline of King Charles's royal visits to Canada, spanning more than 50 years
MONTREAL – This week's Royal visit marks King Charles's first visit to Canada since his coronation two years ago. But the King is no stranger to the country, having visited all provinces and territories during official visits dating back more than 50 years. Here's a timeline of those visits. 1970 Charles, then Prince of Wales, lands in Canada on July 3 for his first official visit to Canada. The 21-year-old begins with a solo two-day visit of Ottawa before joining the queen and other members of his family for a 10-day trip to Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. 1975 Charles makes an 11-day visit to Canada that includes stints in Ottawa and the Northwest Territories. Shortly after the official visit, he spends more than a month in Canadian waters onboard the HMS Hermes, as a navy helicopter pilot. 1976 Charles, along with his parents and brothers, make a quick visit to the Montreal Olympics where his sister, Princess Anne, was competing in equestrian three-day eventing. 1977 This Alberta visit saw Charles don a cowboy hat to attend the Calgary stampede. He also attended a commemoration of the signing of Treaty 7 at Blackfoot Crossing. 1979 This solo April visit included stops in Victoria, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa. 1980 This visit, described as 'semi-official,' included stops in Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria, and included meetings held in his capacity as president of United World Colleges. 1983 This trip marked the first official visit of Charles and his wife Diana, Princess of Wales. The visit, stretching a full 18 days, included stops in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, PEI and Alberta, where they opened the World University Games in Edmonton. 1986 Charles and Diana visit in April and May for a trip to British Columbia, where they spent time in Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops and Nanaimo, and opened the Expo 86 world fair in Vancouver. 1991 This trip marked the first official visits to Canada by Prince William and Prince Harry, who joined their parents for a weeklong trip to Ontario with stops in five cities. 1996 Charles, who was now separated from Diana, made a solo trip to Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba for a seven-day visit. 1998 On this visit, Charles was joined in British Columbia by his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, which combined official engagements in Vancouver with a private Whistler ski trip. 2001 This visit by the Prince of Wales included a visit to Yukon, where he met Junior Canadian Rangers and Indigenous elders. Other stops included Ottawa and several communities in Saskatchewan. 2009 The November visit marked the first official visit to Canada by Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall. The couple visited Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, where they were met by protesters. The visit included a stop at the Winter Olympics village in Vancouver and a backstage tour of Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal. 2012 This four-day trip centred around the queen's Diamond Jubilee and saw Charles and Camilla stop in several New Brunswick communities as well and Toronto and Regina for a visit that 'highlighted service as both an enduring royal value of Her Majesty and the Royal Family as well as an intrinsic Canadian value,' according to the official itinerary. 2014 The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall toured parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba. The itinerary included Victoria Day celebrations in Charlottetown, speaking with military veterans in Nova Scotia, and meeting Hudson the polar bear in Winnipeg. 2017 The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall marked the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation with a visit that kicked off in Iqaluit, Nunavut, before taking them to Ontario's Prince Edward County and culminating with Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill. 2022 The most recent royal tour took place in May 2022, during which the soon-to-be-King and Queen visited St. John's, N.L; Ottawa; and Yellowknife and Dettah, N.W.T. The tour, undertaken to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, focused on themes of Indigenous reconciliation and the environment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
King makes rare trip to Royal Navy warship at sea
The King recalled his 'formative and fondest memories' of his naval service as he became the first monarch to visit a Royal Navy warship at sea in almost 40 years. His Majesty flew by helicopter to HMS Prince of Wales in the Channel as it prepared for a major deployment to Japan. The King told sailors gathered in the hangar that he took 'immense pride' in all who had brought the vessel to life 'with such indomitable spirit' and spoke of his 'enduring respect' for the Navy. As Prince of Wales, the King served with the Royal Navy from 1971 until 1976, rising to command minesweeper HMS Bronington before returning to royal duties. 'My own time at sea… remains one of the most formative, and fondest, experiences of my life,' the King said, adding that he could still 'vividly recall' his first deck landings on HMS Hermes, moments which left 'an indelible impression'. To mark the visit, Buckingham Palace released black and white photographs of the monarch, then Prince Charles, in 1977, when he flew in a Buccaneer jet to HMS Ark Royal. The King first visited HMS Prince of Wales in June 2016, while it was under construction at Rosyth Dockyard. He accompanied the Queen when she officially named the vessel the following September and again when it was formally commissioned in 2019. On Tuesday, the monarch was shown around the 65,000-tonne ship before watching as F-35B fighter jets carried out landing exercises on the deck of the Portsmouth-based carrier. He visited in his role as the Honorary Commodore-in-Chief Aircraft Carriers, the first reigning monarch to visit a Royal Navy warship at sea since Elizabeth II made the short trip from Rosyth to Leith on minehunter HMS Brocklesby in 1988. The trip came during the closing stages of crew's intensive training before setting sail for Japan in April on a mission to deepen the UK's defence partnerships and promote security and stability. The King told personnel gathered in the hangar: 'As you prepare to set sail as the flagship of the UK Carrier Strike Group, building on the success of HMS Queen Elizabeth's inaugural deployment in 2021, I just wanted to express, on behalf of the nation, my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinarily valuable contributions and personal sacrifices that you and your families continue to make in the name of duty. 'I can sense the anticipation and excitement amongst many of you today for what lies ahead over the next eight months and all I can say is I will be watching your progress with great interest.' The monarch arrived from Sandringham by Royal Navy Merlin helicopter and was joined aboard by Admiral Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord and head of the Royal Navy, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the chief of the Royal Air Force. Capt Will Blackett, HMS Prince of Wales's commanding officer, said: 'It was a great honour to host His Majesty onboard today. I was able to show him first hand that HMS Prince of Wales is at high readiness, standing by to deliver for the UK when ordered. 'His visit was a great source of morale for my excellent ship's company and we look forward to doing him proud in all our endeavours this year.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
King makes rare trip to Royal Navy warship at sea
The King recalled his 'formative and fondest memories' of his naval service as he became the first monarch to visit a Royal Navy warship at sea in almost 40 years. His Majesty flew by helicopter to HMS Prince of Wales in the Channel as it prepared for a major deployment to Japan. The King told sailors gathered in the hangar that he took 'immense pride' in all who had brought the vessel to life 'with such indomitable spirit' and spoke of his 'enduring respect' for the Navy. As Prince of Wales, the King served with the Royal Navy from 1971 until 1976, rising to command minesweeper HMS Bronington before returning to royal duties. 'My own time at sea… remains one of the most formative, and fondest, experiences of my life,' the King said, adding that he could still 'vividly recall' his first deck landings on HMS Hermes, moments which left 'an indelible impression'. To mark the visit, Buckingham Palace released black and white photographs of the monarch, then Prince Charles, in 1977, when he flew in a Buccaneer jet to HMS Ark Royal. The King first visited HMS Prince of Wales in June 2016, while it was under construction at Rosyth Dockyard. He accompanied the Queen when she officially named the vessel the following September and again when it was formally commissioned in 2019. On Tuesday, the monarch was shown around the 65,000-tonne ship before watching as F-35B fighter jets carried out landing exercises on the deck of the Portsmouth-based carrier. He visited in his role as the Honorary Commodore-in-Chief Aircraft Carriers, the first reigning monarch to visit a Royal Navy warship at sea since Elizabeth II made the short trip from Rosyth to Leith on minehunter HMS Brocklesby in 1988. The trip came during the closing stages of crew's intensive training before setting sail for Japan in April on a mission to deepen the UK's defence partnerships and promote security and stability. The King told personnel gathered in the hangar: 'As you prepare to set sail as the flagship of the UK Carrier Strike Group, building on the success of HMS Queen Elizabeth's inaugural deployment in 2021, I just wanted to express, on behalf of the nation, my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinarily valuable contributions and personal sacrifices that you and your families continue to make in the name of duty. 'I can sense the anticipation and excitement amongst many of you today for what lies ahead over the next eight months and all I can say is I will be watching your progress with great interest.' The monarch arrived from Sandringham by Royal Navy Merlin helicopter and was joined aboard by Admiral Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord and head of the Royal Navy, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the chief of the Royal Air Force. Capt Will Blackett, HMS Prince of Wales's commanding officer, said: 'It was a great honour to host His Majesty onboard today. I was able to show him first hand that HMS Prince of Wales is at high readiness, standing by to deliver for the UK when ordered. 'His visit was a great source of morale for my excellent ship's company and we look forward to doing him proud in all our endeavours this year.'
