Latest news with #LordStrathconasHorse
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
King Charles says he 'misses Canada' in meeting with Canadian mounted troop at Windsor Castle
Members of the Canadian military's only ceremonial mounted troop got to meet and chat with the King Monday at Windsor Castle. The 26 soldiers from Lord Strathcona's Horse, a Canadian Forces tank regiment based in Edmonton, are in England to fill the role of the King's Life Guard at Buckingham Palace until July 21. King Charles III hosted them Monday at Windsor Castle. 'His (Majesty) invited the mounted troop over for a brief meeting,' Capt. Tom Lauterbacher, the Strathcona Mounted Troop leader, said Monday. 'He made sure that the soldiers were enjoying their accommodations' at Hyde Park Barracks and King's Guard Barracks, and asked 'how we were liking the horses,' Lauterbacher said. The Canadians are riding horses that belong to the U.K.'s Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. 'He knows that it's a big change between the horses that the Household Cavalry have and our quarter horses that we have in Canada,' Lauterbacher said. 'They're a lot larger than the horses that we have.' King Charles was interested in how the soldiers came to be in the mounted troop and whether or not they wanted to stay in the army, said the captain. 'He was very personable. He asked a lot of very in-depth questions to get to know the soldiers on more of a personal level.' Lauterbacher escorted the King while he chatted with the Canadians. 'He talked about how much he missed Canada; how beautiful he thinks it is,' Lauterbacher said. 'He wishes he could be able to get out more, but the trip is fairly long — he made the joke.' They sipped sparkling water and orange juice at the reception. 'The soldiers had a little bit of time to talk and share a laugh with His (Majesty) and then we had to be back on our way to get back to the (guard) duties,' Lauterbacher said. They are guarding Horse Guards in St. James Park, the original entrance to Buckingham Palace. The invitation to take on the ceremonial role is a rarity; this is only the third time the job has been done by soldiers from outside the United Kingdom. The invite, which marks the regiment's 125th anniversary, came from the King himself, who is the Strathcona's colonel-in-chief. From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day, two Canadians at a time, wearing dragoon helmets and their regimental colours of scarlet red and myrtle green, do one-hour shifts in guard boxes flanking the palace entrance. At 4 p.m., there's 'an inspection which dates all the way back to Queen Victoria when she found some of her soldiers who were intoxicated on the job, so she gave them a hundred years of defaulters,' Lauterbacher said. The hundred years is long past, but the ceremonial inspection still draws large crowds. The Canadians carry lances while on parade and sabers in the guard boxes. 'Our soldiers do engage if they have to tell a person to, 'Please don't touch the tack of the animal,' or 'Please don't enter the box,'' Lauterbacher said. 'It's a safety thing that they're allowed to engage.' People who have come to snag photos of the Canadians 'have been absolutely fantastic and super respectful,' he said. One horse 'stumbled a little' during the ceremonies, but its 'fantastic rider' was able to hold the animal steady so it wouldn't cause issues with the crowds, Lauterbacher said. 'It's been a great time so far. The mounted troop has been practicing and getting ready for this for the last few months,' he said. 'And now we're finally getting the opportunity to do it, the soldiers are ecstatic.' The crowds are immense. 'The soldiers perform in front of thousands of people, but it's nothing compared to the amount of people that come by (Horse) Guards. The photos, the people that want to come up and talk to everybody. How proud we are to be in front of the world and have everybody here cheering us on. It's a dream come true for a lot of the soldiers … to be here and to do the job. It's very busy, but it's very rewarding.' In addition to guarding the palace, the Canadian troop goes on morning rides, called Watering Order, through Hyde Park. 'When they're doing that they can say hello to people and a lot of people are really interested to come up and talk to the Canadians,' Lauterbacher said. 'So, it's been a great time.' Lord Strathcona's Horse stood up its mounted troop in 1974 after the original mounted troop stood down in 1939 to man tanks during the Second World War. 'We're the only mounted regiment in Canada when it comes to the Canadian Armed Forces,' Lauterbacher said. The soldiers also have to maintain their operational skills should they be deployed in tanks. 'They have to train just like any other soldier, while also on the side learning how to ride horses,' Lauterbacher said. The King donned a Canadian naval uniform earlier this year, which some interpreted as his subtle support for this country as U.S. President Donald Trump mused about making Canada the 51st state. 'I can't speculate on what the King's intent is, but I know that he was very happy to have us and host us here and ask the mounted troop to come see him at Windsor Castle,' Lauterbacher said. King Charles's throne speech, deconstructed: 'Not a single word was accidental' Did King Charles subtly show support for Canada amid Trump's 51st state threats? Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Edmonton-based ceremonial mounted army troop guarding London
Members of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) walk in front of the Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial in this handout photo, on their way to take the guard at Hyde Park Barracks in London, on July 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Master Corporal Antoine Brochu, Canadian Armed Forces Combat Camera (Mandatory Credit) Just over a month after King Charles expressed his support for a 'strong and free' Canada in a visit to Ottawa, he invited Canadian soldiers to staff the ceremonial mounted troop which guards the official entrance to Buckingham Palace in London. The Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment are in the British capital for 10 days of service, marking only the third time a non-British unit will mount the King's Life Guard. The Life Guard protects the Horse Guards building, which is the official entrance to St. James's and Buckingham Palace. The regiment is also known as the Royal Canadians and the members have had to adjust to larger horses used in London for the ceremonial guard. The only other two times foreign units mounted the Life Guard were also Canadian, including in 2012 when the RCMP took on the role to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee and in 2000 when the Lord Strathcona's Horse regiment did it to mark its 100th anniversary. Canada's high commission in London says the arrangement symbolizes Canadian nationhood and sovereignty, and is an example of Ottawa's commitment to its allies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
CBC
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
'Tremendously proud': Canadian regiment serving as King's Life Guard
Members of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), an Edmonton-based regiment, are in London to perform mounted ceremonial duties as the King's Life Guard, a rare assignment for a foreign country. (Aired: July 12, 2025)
CBC
13-07-2025
- General
- CBC
'Quite an honour': Canadians take a turn as the King's Life Guard in London
Hello, royal watchers. This is your regular dose of royal news and analysis. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox. A mounted ceremonial guard at Horse Guards, the official entrance to the royal palaces or riding down streets in central London is a familiar sight — and for the next eight days, Canadian soldiers will carry out the duties. Members of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), a tank regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces based in Edmonton, were invited by King Charles and took over duties as the King's Life Guard on Friday. It's been a tradition for nearly 400 years and one the Canadians are proud to take on. "It's quite an honour to be asked to come over here, to participate, to be able to help support, to have the riders come and do the ceremonial task for our sovereign," Maj. Colin Peterson, the officer commanding C Squadron with Lord Strathcona's Horse, told the CBC's Anna Cunningham. Twenty-six members of the regiment are on hand for the duties that come as the regiment celebrates its 125th anniversary. The Canadians will ride the horses of the U.K. army's Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, and have been in the U.K. practising with the mounts, which are considerably bigger than their quarter-horses back home. "Our kit needs to be a little modified to be able to fit onto their larger mounts, and from there we're able to practise, do some walk-throughs of exactly what the guard will entail, and then ride around the city to be able to get comfortable with riding through the traffic," Capt. Tom Lauterbacher, the Strathcona Mounted Troop leader, told Cunningham. King Charles is the regiment's honorary colonel-in-chief. "He's also not only the King of England, he is the King of Canada as well, the sovereign to our nation," Lauterbacher said. "So that tie has always been there, and it's great to promote that and keep that going throughout the turmoil that the world ... obviously sees every day." It is only the third time the ceremonial role has been carried out by soldiers from outside the U.K. The two other times were also by Canadians. In 2012, the Mounties took on the role while they were in the U.K. to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. In 2000, Lord Strathcona's Horse had its first run at the experience while commemorating its 100th regimental anniversary. "We have such a long-established bond between our two countries," Lauterbacher said. "We keep those close ties together, and we have to work together in the daily, the day-to-day of the world. So having us come over here just reinforces that Canada has the U.K.'s back and it's a tie that ... has been long-standing and that will always continue on." Lord Strathcona's Horse will hand the ceremonial duties back to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment on July 21. 'Revealing' tweaks in the monarchy's annual report It's not all about the money, although that is a big part of it. When Buckingham Palace put out its own version of an annual report the other day, it offered its usual review of the monarchy's finances and engagements carried out by members of the Royal Family. But the Sovereign Grant report for 2024-25 also offered subtle hints of how focuses and priorities may be shifting as King Charles settles in as monarch. Those hints — including more references to the Commonwealth and an addition to the sovereign's role around supporting cultural heritage — caught the attention of Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London. Sometimes the section of the Sovereign Grant report where such things are mentioned mirrors the previous year's. At other times, it's been tweaked, Prescott said in an interview. "Those tweaks are very revealing because they show how the institution itself is ... reappraising or clarifying its role based on what's happened in the previous year or two years." Questions have loomed for a while now about the King and the Commonwealth. Compared with last year's Sovereign Grant report, this year's includes expanded references to the Commonwealth and the King's role as head of it. Prescott said opportunities to discuss that have perhaps been missed once or twice, including during Charles's coronation in 2023, so to see more reference to that this year "was very, very interesting." At its heart, the Sovereign Grant report is about money. The grant, which is a proportion of profits from the Crown Estate, covers the Royal Family's costs for official duties and maintaining occupied royal palaces. For 2024-25, it remained unchanged, at 86.3 million pounds (about $160 million Cdn). Since 2017-18, it has also included funds for ongoing renovations at Buckingham Palace. "Soft power is hard to measure but its value is, I believe, now firmly understood at home and abroad, as the core themes of the new reign have come into even sharper focus, and the Royal Family have continued in their service to the nation, realms and Commonwealth," James Chalmers, keeper of the Privy Purse, said in a release. The anti-monarchy group Republic has repeatedly questioned and roundly criticized the money associated with the House of Windsor. "The cost of the monarchy is out of control and these reports receive almost no political scrutiny," Republic CEO Graham Smith said in a release. "Excuses are rolled out and baseless claims are made about value for money. Yet there is no excuse for this excess and abuse of public funds." U.K. media headlines after the release of this year's report focused on the decision to take the royal train — which was much favoured by the late Queen Elizabeth — out of service by 2027 as a way of cutting costs. One two-day trip by the King in February cost nearly 45,000 pounds (about $83,500 Cdn). That decision regarding the royal train, Prescott said, "shows you a concern about value for money" that perhaps wasn't the same under Elizabeth. Charles "has to be more practical," he said. "I think it's an example of sweeping away some of the more arcane, historic, anomalous aspects of monarchy that Elizabeth II could get away with." According to the Sovereign Grant report, members of the Royal Family carried out more than 1,900 engagements in the U.K. and overseas in 2024-25. The previous year's report said family members had carried out more than 2,300 engagements, but it indicated that the number would decrease as both Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales, had treatment after being diagnosed with cancer. Still, Prescott said, it's "remarkable" the number of times King Charles has been seen in public. "The fact that he was willing to go to Canada for less than 24 hours for that trip [in May] showed that he really wanted to do that, that he obviously felt this was a moment where he could do something," he said. The Sovereign Grant report also notes the sovereign's "significant diplomatic role," including hosting state visits and making such visits overseas. That hosting was on full display this week as King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron. Prince William and Catherine were also front and centre for the occasion, which brings out all manner of royal pomp, pageantry and dinner place settings — this time in Windsor Castle, because of the renovations at Buckingham Palace. It is, Prescott noted, the first inward state visit from the head of a European country post-Brexit and comes at a time when there's an issue with illegal migration across the English Channel from France to the U.K. "That the King mentioned it in his speech was interesting and shows you how the King is there to advance British foreign policy," he said. Under Charles, Prescott suggested, there's a sense that the "international dimension of the monarchy" has come back. The pandemic had curtailed overseas travel, and Queen Elizabeth had also given it up. State visits — at home or abroad — also give Charles an opportunity to make a speech, something Prescott said Charles can do better than his mother did. Charles's speeches have "substantive content" and are memorable, he added. "The [throne] speech in Canada was like the shining example of this, the most extreme example of this in some ways." WATCH | King Charles delivers the speech from the throne in Ottawa: FULL SPEECH | King Charles delivers speech from the throne 2 months ago Duration 28:24 King Charles, speaking from the Senate chamber on Tuesday, delivered a speech from the throne that acknowledged the worry that comes with a 'drastically changing world' — including a changing relationship between Canada and the U.S. But the speech also looked forward, pointing to government plans to increase affordability, take on major projects and build a strong economy that 'serves everyone.' That speech, in Ottawa on May 27, came in the shadow of the existential threat to Canada posed by U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated "51st state" rhetoric and ended with Charles saying: "As the anthem reminds us: The true north is indeed strong and free." "To go as far as [Charles] did was quite astounding, really," Prescott said. "But then fundamentally, the state of Canada was getting threats from an external force. The head of state should speak out on that. Otherwise what's the point of them?" A royal boost for young women in skilled trades During Prince Edward's recent visit to Canada, he focused some of his attention on his namesake youth-oriented organization — the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award – Canada — and how it is evolving. King Charles's younger brother took part in forums in Charlottetown and Toronto as the award — which has long had involvement from independent schools — works to blend trades and skills-based experiences into public education. At the Toronto forum, Fanshawe College in London, Ont., was welcomed as the award's first post-secondary education operating partner in Canada. It will encourage women in a skilled trades program to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh program with the hope that it will boost their resumés and help them in the workforce. The college's target audience for the award is its Women in Skilled Trades club, which has grown over the past two years from about 20 students to about 75, Ruth Lebelo-Almaw, Fanshawe's co-ordinator for women in Red Seal skilled trades, said in an interview. "We are now seeing our students graduate, and they are now becoming the alumni mentors for the students that are just coming in, so we're creating a community here and we really feel that aligns with the community development goals of the award." Lebelo-Almaw, along with Britney Hunter, chair of Fanshawe's apprenticeship and skilled trades accelerator, others from the college and educators from around Ontario chatted with Edward during the forum on July 2. WATCH | Prince Edward visits Toronto: Duke of Edinburgh continues Canadian tour in Toronto 13 days ago Duration 4:30 "He did come to speak to every single individual one-on-one, got to know everyone, how their relationship was with the program, asked a lot of very excellent questions, was really engaged, really excited about what we were doing, and listening," Hunter said in an interview. She found Edward to be humble and down-to-earth, and welcomed his interest and support for the college's program and the potential for him to share what he learned about it outside Canada. "The Royal Family, they have this ability to draw attention to really important programs." Attracting more women to the skilled trades and helping them to remain in them is a really important mission for Fanshawe College, Hunter said. "I think that we are excited [about] the attention this is getting because it's very important work. And we're hoping to carry that forward and show the power [Edward] has by drawing ... such positive attention to an excellent program." WATCH | Prince Edward speaks to the Canada Day crowd on Parliament Hill: Prince Edward praises Canada's achievements in July 1 speech 12 days ago Duration 4:55 Prince Edward capped off a weeklong visit to Canada with a stop in Ottawa, where he gave a speech to Canada Day revellers at LeBreton Flats Park. 'Today is truly a celebration of you, your home and your land, strong and free,' he said to cheers from the crowd. More than 11,000 young people across Canada took part last year in the Duke of Edinburgh award, which has a goal of reaching more than 12,000 participants this year and expanding through new educational partnerships. The Peel District School Board, just northwest of Toronto, is exploring a partnership that is focused on multilingual learners and equity, the organization said in a news release. "It's incredibly energizing to imagine the thousands of young people who will benefit as provincial education authorities and school boards embrace the award," CEO Mark Little said in the release. Royally quotable "You're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to." — Catherine, Princess of Wales, talking candidly, as the BBC reported, about the long-term challenges of recovering after chemotherapy. Catherine made the comments during a visit to a hospital in eastern England. Royal reads Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, gave a message of "hope" to families devastated by the war 30 years ago — as she arrived in Bosnia carrying a powerful and heartfelt message from King Charles. [The Sun] King Charles said the U.K. and France stand "ever closer" as he spoke of the "complex threats" facing the two neighbours at a state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron. [ITV] Families and survivors of the bombings in London in 2005 were joined by members of the Royal Family and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks. [BBC] Queen Camilla handed out seeds and cuttings from her garden during a day of visiting charitable organizations to thank them for their work. [BBC] Prince William is changing public attitudes toward homelessness in the way that his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, changed attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS, says former U.K. prime minister Gordon Brown. [BBC] King Charles and Queen Camilla began their annual official stay in Scotland — also known as Holyrood Week — by carrying out solo engagements in Edinburgh and later hosted a garden party together. [The Scotsman] Travels with Queen Elizabeth are being recalled as the royal train nears the end of its line. [BBC]
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fresh group of Edmonton soldiers depart for Latvia
Roughly 100 Edmonton soldiers departed for Europe Sunday to join the Multinational Brigade Latvia's Operation Reassurance where they'll stay for the next six months as part of the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defence in a generation. 'We're just super excited to finally get boots on the ground because we have been looking forward to this for such a long time, and we've worked so hard to train,' said Capt. Emily Stregger as the group prepared to fly out. NATO forces have been in the region since 2017 with the establishment of the Canadian-led combat-ready battlegroup that is hosted by the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade and comprised of 14 contributing nations. Maj. Tim McHugh of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) said the group will be doing regular training while deployed, which takes on a different tone given their proximity to Russia. 'It makes it a little more real than going to the training area in Wainwright,' McHugh said. 'I think just having them on the vehicles on a regular basis, having access to the training area, and knowing that there is the potential for a threat that exists in that area does increase the level of training, and it makes everybody a little bit more excited.' The group will be working with a variety of armoured vehicles, including the armoured engineer vehicle, which Stregger said is a variant of a Leopard II tank that has a bulldozer blade and excavator arm. 'It's one of its own over there. So it'll be a very unique experience,' said Stregger. Of the roughly 100 soldiers headed to Latvia, McHugh guessed that maybe only 20 had been deployed previously, making it an entirely new experience for the rest. With so many being deployed for the first time, McHugh said part of his job will be keeping the soldiers grounded. 'We're going over there to do our job, to focus on the job first. There's going to be bonuses, you know, being over there, getting to see another country and interact with other nations, but focus on our core mandate and our core task, which is fighting tanks, and being better at that, and integrating into our battle group and being a confident fighting force,' said McHugh. With the ongoing war in Ukraine and recent fighting between Iran and Israel having ramped up, military activity has been on the rise across the Atlantic. But McHugh said it doesn't change the mentality of the group heading into its deployment. Last deployed in Latvia himself in 2020, McHugh said the main difference for him is a growing Canadian presence. 'The thing that has changed is now we have tanks there. The battle group and the brigade is growing. There's a lot bigger Canadian presence there, and that's probably the thing that's changed the most. But outside of that, the mentality that we're going there with is very similar to the one we went with in 2020,' said McHugh. Stregger said she heard that she would be headed to Latvia about one year ago, prompting 'high tempo' training and excitement within the group. Now, as she finally makes her way over, she said she is feeling privileged. 'This is what I signed up to do. So to actually get the opportunity to deploy as a troop commander is a huge privilege,' said Stregger. zdelaney@ British departure means uncertain future for Alberta's massive Suffield military base Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
