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Ottawa Citizen

LIVE: Crowds gather to witness King Charles ahead of the speech from the throne

Article content King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to promenade down Wellington Street this morning as part of their royal visit to the capital. Article content Article content The procession will start at the Bank of Canada at about 9:50 a.m., and arrive at the Senate at about 10:15, where the King and Queen will be greeted by a guard of honour from the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment and receive a 21-gun salute. Article content From the Senate floor, the King will give the speech from the throne, which will set the agenda for the new government of Prime Minister Mark Carney. Article content Tuesday is the second day of a two-day visit. Monday, Charles and Camilla visited Lansdowne Park where they were greeted by thousands of onlookers Article content You can expect serious traffic delays because of road closures for the royal visit and procession. Article content Our reporters Paula Tran and Matteo Cimellaro are live on the ground talking to locals and visitors alike, hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal couple as they make their way to Parliament. Article content Article content Good morning! People are lining up along Wellington Street to see King Charles as he walks up to the Senate building to deliver the throne speech this morning. Lots of people lined up as early as 5am to get a prime spot. #RoyalVisitCanada — Paula Tran 陳寶拉 (@paulatr12) May 27, 2025 Article content What it takes to get a good spot: lining up at 5 a.m. Article content Article content Trevor Henderson travelled all the way from Toronto to see the royal tour. He claimed his spot at 5 in the morning, with the hope of shaking hands with the King. Article content Henderson is a royal watcher, enamoured with the living history the monarchy represents. Article content 'As a history junkie and politics there, a blend of both,' Henderson said. '[King Charles III] is a piece of a living piece of history that's been how many 1000 years of continual, almost continuous, rule. I find it super interesting.' Henderson also understands the political meaning of the visit, given the threats of annexation from U.S. President Donald Trump. Henderson thinks the royal tour is sending a clear message about Canadian sovereignty. Article content 'There's someone who needs to hear it from someone that he respects, and we know he respects royal Royals around the world, any royal he seems to respect,' Henderson added. Article content Article content Others like Mary Gibb and Janice Kendrick from Ottawa are paying a visit to witness the historic moment, imbued with political tension around sovereignty. Article content Article content 'I think it was very clever of Carney to ask him, and it sends a message politically, our friends in the south, we are a sovereign country. We're not a republic,' Gibb said. Article content 'I feel like everybody's here because there's like the king has our back. And I'm like, but whose backs do we have? And frankly, our backs don't need to be covered right now,' Stratford said.