Latest news with #royalvisit
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Experts say royal visit was meant to send a message to Trump — and to London
King Charles waves to the crowd as he leaves the Senate with Queen Camilla after the throne speech in Ottawa during a royal visit on Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney meant to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump by inviting King Charles to Ottawa this week, foreign policy experts say — but Trump may not have been the only target audience. Multiple experts in foreign policy say they're convinced Carney arranged the whirlwind royal visit to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty and distinct political culture before a global audience in response to Trump's ruinous trade policy and repeated calls for Canada's annexation. Roy Norton, a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, said he also doubts Carney would have invited the King had British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not made the controversial decision to invite the president for a second state visit to the United Kingdom. That invitation was formally issued by King Charles but would have been offered on Starmer's advice. 'I think Trump isn't the only audience internationally, but I think Trump's an important one,' Norton said. 'Starmer is also on notice as he's been reminded that the King has these responsibilities beyond simply serving the interests of the United Kingdom.' Carney told Britain's SkyNews in an interview earlier this month that Canadians 'weren't impressed' by London's invitation to Trump, 'given the circumstance.' Norton said the visit also may have been intended to remind the King of his own responsibilities to Canada. While many Canadians were disappointed that the King made no direct statement pushing back on Trump's annexation talk, the throne speech he read in Ottawa emphasized Canada's sovereignty and his close personal relationship with the country. While Trump was relatively quiet about the royal visit itself — which saw the King welcomed by cheering crowds in Ottawa — he called again Tuesday for Canada to become part of the United States. In a post on social media, Trump said Canada would pay billions of dollars to take part in his unbuilt Golden Dome missile defence system if 'they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State.' Fen Hampson, a Carleton University professor and an expert on Canada-U.S. relations, said that while he thinks the royal visit was 'all about Trump,' the president remains 'immune to messaging or persuasion of any kind.' 'In extraordinary times, you have to pull out all the stops and call on friends to send a strong message that Canada is not for sale, now, tomorrow or ever,' he said. Hampson said he doesn't think the visit itself did much to unify Canadians beyond the effect Trump is having already. 'It's the threat of Trump that's unifying Canadians, not the King,' he said. This was only the third time a sitting monarch had read the speech from the throne in Canada. Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1957 and 1977. A Liberal government official, speaking on background, told The Canadian Press that the goal of the royal visit was to help Canadians reconnect with their cultural and political roots at a time when the country's sovereignty is being threatened. Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the visit served as 'a way to draw attention to the distinctiveness of our political institutions.' 'It's also about PR and about raising the profile of Canada and, in a way, of the government's policies,' he said, noting that the visit received international attention. 'It's certainly sending a message about the fact that Canada is in a way not isolated, that it has its own identity.' Asked by reporters Tuesday if he thinks the throne speech will help the federal government in its negotiations with the Trump administration, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said it's hard to tell what moves the president. 'I think it's important that the world recognize that we have those ancient traditions and the Americans recognize that we are an independent and free country that will make its own decisions,' Poilievre said. — With files from Craig Lord This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Experts say royal visit was meant to send a message to Trump — and to London
King Charles waves to the crowd as he leaves the Senate with Queen Camilla after the throne speech in Ottawa during a royal visit on Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney meant to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump by inviting King Charles to Ottawa this week, foreign policy experts say — but Trump may not have been the only target audience. Multiple experts in foreign policy say they're convinced Carney arranged the whirlwind royal visit to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty and distinct political culture before a global audience in response to Trump's ruinous trade policy and repeated calls for Canada's annexation. Roy Norton, a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, said he also doubts Carney would have invited the King had British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not made the controversial decision to invite the president for a second state visit to the United Kingdom. That invitation was formally issued by King Charles but would have been offered on Starmer's advice. 'I think Trump isn't the only audience internationally, but I think Trump's an important one,' Norton said. 'Starmer is also on notice as he's been reminded that the King has these responsibilities beyond simply serving the interests of the United Kingdom.' Carney told Britain's SkyNews in an interview earlier this month that Canadians 'weren't impressed' by London's invitation to Trump, 'given the circumstance.' Norton said the visit also may have been intended to remind the King of his own responsibilities to Canada. While many Canadians were disappointed that the King made no direct statement pushing back on Trump's annexation talk, the throne speech he read in Ottawa emphasized Canada's sovereignty and his close personal relationship with the country. While Trump was relatively quiet about the royal visit itself — which saw the King welcomed by cheering crowds in Ottawa — he called again Tuesday for Canada to become part of the United States. In a post on social media, Trump said Canada would pay billions of dollars to take part in his unbuilt Golden Dome missile defence system if 'they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State.' Fen Hampson, a Carleton University professor and an expert on Canada-U.S. relations, said that while he thinks the royal visit was 'all about Trump,' the president remains 'immune to messaging or persuasion of any kind.' 'In extraordinary times, you have to pull out all the stops and call on friends to send a strong message that Canada is not for sale, now, tomorrow or ever,' he said. Hampson said he doesn't think the visit itself did much to unify Canadians beyond the effect Trump is having already. 'It's the threat of Trump that's unifying Canadians, not the King,' he said. This was only the third time a sitting monarch had read the speech from the throne in Canada. Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1957 and 1977. A Liberal government official, speaking on background, told The Canadian Press that the goal of the royal visit was to help Canadians reconnect with their cultural and political roots at a time when the country's sovereignty is being threatened. Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the visit served as 'a way to draw attention to the distinctiveness of our political institutions.' 'It's also about PR and about raising the profile of Canada and, in a way, of the government's policies,' he said, noting that the visit received international attention. 'It's certainly sending a message about the fact that Canada is in a way not isolated, that it has its own identity.' Asked by reporters Tuesday if he thinks the throne speech will help the federal government in its negotiations with the Trump administration, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said it's hard to tell what moves the president. 'I think it's important that the world recognize that we have those ancient traditions and the Americans recognize that we are an independent and free country that will make its own decisions,' Poilievre said. — With files from Craig Lord This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Royal visit a 'historic moment' for Canada and King Charles
Social Sharing 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. In Ottawa's Lansdowne Park, those gathered in the enthusiastic crowd on Monday reached out, trying to shake hands or grab a selfie with King Charles and Queen Camilla. In the grounds of Rideau Hall, a spontaneous rendition of God Save the King filled the air after Charles and Camilla completed that most royal of royal duties: planting a tree. And in the Senate Tuesday, those listening broke into applause as Charles wrapped up his main task as Canada's head of state on a whirlwind trip to the country, drawing the speech from the throne to a close by saying, "As the anthem reminds us: The true north is indeed strong and free." The trip, which had unfolded in a highly charged political climate for the country after repeated annexation taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump, wrapped up with a sense that it was a historic moment for both the country and the monarch. "I think it is going to go down as one of the most successful royal visits," royal historian Justin Vovk of McMaster University in Hamilton said in an interview. The trip that brought Charles and Camilla to the country's capital for just shy of 24 hours "hit the mark everywhere it has needed to," Vovk said. WATCH | On the way to the Senate: King Charles and Queen Camilla parade to Parliament 17 hours ago Duration 2:35 "Everything from the moment they got off the plane, the people chosen to meet them, the inclusion of not just the chief of the National Assembly of First Nations, but also Indigenous musicians, Indigenous young people, and having high schoolers and Canadian youth get to meet him — the visit to Lansdowne Park was a huge, huge success." That time in the park Monday gave Charles and Camilla the opportunity to meet — very briefly — a wide range of Canadians. The enthusiasm of the crowd gathered there was palpable. "There was a great deal of warmth from the Canadian people gathered in Ottawa to greet the King and Queen," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview. "There was spontaneous singing of God Save the King and O Canada at the tree planting at Rideau Hall. And on Tuesday, amidst all the cheering, there were a few people who shouted, 'Thanks for coming.'" Harris sees it all as "a very historic moment that was greatly appreciated by the thousands of Canadians who came to see King Charles and Queen Camilla during their time in Canada." As much as the visit was ostensibly to Canada, there is little doubt that organizers knew it would be scrutinized beyond the country's borders, particularly in Washington. But it would also be watched in the United Kingdom, where trade and other priorities can at times differ from those of Canada. "I think the U.K. government will be broadly happy with it, but it all depends on the response, if any, from the White House," Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London, said in an interview. "That's the real thing and we don't know … whether Trump will just simply ignore it or whether we'll get a tweet on Truth Social all in capitals about it. That's the unpredictable thing here. "But I think in a sense this was a Canadian moment for Canada," said Prescott, who also described it as a "unique trip" for a "unique moment." It was also a moment for King Charles himself. "I would go as far as to say that outside the … immediate accession and the coronation, I think this has been his biggest moment in his reign so far," said Prescott. "There's so much in it. There's the Commonwealth element. There's the political element. There's the moment it is for Canada … that tightrope with the U.K." WATCH | The full throne speech: FULL SPEECH | King Charles delivers speech from the throne 15 hours 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.' In watching Charles, Prescott sees a "modern monarch" distinguishing himself from the 70-year reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth. The throne speech Charles read, which included remarks outside those written by the Canadian government, was an "example of him delivering a sharper speech than Elizabeth II would," Prescott said. "Elizabeth II would have covered the same territory but in much more coded language. This speech didn't need to be decoded as such.… This was crystal clear and that's the big change, really." Prescott thought he detected a look of nervousness from Charles before he read the speech. "If you watch your mother do the state opening of Parliament in the U.K. — and that is a very dry speech — this is very much the Canadian equivalent. But he knew he was going to be saying much more than that. It's a much bigger moment." As much as Charles and Camilla were enthusiastically welcomed for the short visit, there are lingering questions. How much will the visit resonate with Canadians outside those who eagerly hit the streets of Ottawa to see them or who followed along from home? "I don't think we can anticipate that this is going to lead to any major shifts in Canadian sentiments about the monarchy, positive or negative," said Vovk, of McMaster University. "I think that some Canadians will see this visit as having been something good for Canada in the moment, but I think the level of comfortable indifference towards the monarchy … will largely stay where it is." No matter what level of success could be seen out of the visit, any endeavour can come with missed opportunities. "The brevity of the tour meant that it was very focused on Ottawa, on various points around the city," Harris said. "A longer tour would allow the King and Queen to visit more places in Canada, and interact with more Canadians and take in the full diversity of Canadian culture and society. "But this was a short, targeted royal visit, focused on delivering the throne speech. So it makes sense that this tour was quite focused on Ottawa." Amid all the enthusiasm shown for King Charles and Queen Camilla, there was one spot of protest, a moment that also left a mark for Vovk. "When there were the protesters at Lansdowne Park chanting, 'Not our King,' I was actually quite moved by the fact that this is Canada and they were able to do that and protest like that freely," he said. "And it was done in a peaceful way that you don't see in other places in North America. And I thought, what could be more representative of Canada than the ability to have two completely contradictory world views occupying the same space and to still be maintaining the peace?" Looking back at the visit Here's a look at how the first day of the visit went. And here's how Tuesday — the second and final day of the visit — unfolded. 'Pretty unbelievable' to meet the King again The Coronation Girls got to see King Charles a second time. "Not only did we have tea with the King in Buckingham Palace in December of 2023, but it was pretty unbelievable that his coming to Ottawa meant that a few of us could meet him again," Carol Shipley said via email. The Coronation Girls are the focus of a documentary feature film that premiered late last year and followed a dozen Canadian women while they were in England late in 2023. They were retracing the steps of a formative trip they made to the United Kingdom as teenagers at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. WATCH | The Coronation Girls remember a fateful trip: Coronation Girls share 70-year history with the Royal Family 1 day ago Duration 5:41 As King Charles arrives in Ottawa to deliver a historic speech from the throne, CBC's chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault connects with a Canadian who shares a unique connection to the Royal Family that dates back to 1953. Three of the Coronation Girls were at Rideau Hall on Monday, watching Charles and Camilla plant a blue beech tree. "It was so fitting for King Charles to plant a tree — he was concerned about the environment long before most of us were thinking of it," Shipley, 89, of Ottawa, said. "At the palace, he and Yvonne Harris, a Coronation Girl from Yukon and more recently, Port Coquitlam, B.C., shared their passion and commitment to save the planet." Shipley recalled Yvonne telling Charles: "Trees are the lungs of our planet." Yvonne died two months ago, Shipley said. "We are especially grateful to His Majesty for coming to Canada at this important moment in our country's history to support us in our resolve to protect our sovereign nation from threat." What's the protocol? Those watching the royals can often wonder about the protocol involved with meeting them. And there was a moment on Tuesday that might have seemed a bit unusual ahead of the throne speech: Former governor general Michaëlle Jean led King Charles by the hand to meet Assembly of First Nations Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. "On the one hand, the general protocol is that one doesn't do that: initiating physical contact, let alone physically leading members of the Royal Family," Vovk said via email. But there's also a sense that there are warm, close relationships between Charles and many of the previous governors general. "I suspect this incident falls somewhere between these two: Ms. Jean probably did overstep the broad protocols, but she may have been given consent by His Majesty to do so or felt she could based on their previous working relationship," Vovk said. Harris, the Toronto-based historian, said there is "often a relaxed atmosphere" on royal tours in Commonwealth realms. "King Charles III has embraced comparative informality on royal tours of Canada." Jean will likely receive media scrutiny based on coverage of past governors general and their interactions with the monarch, Harris said. "In 2017, Gov. Gen. David Johnston received extensive press coverage for lightly touching Queen Elizabeth II's elbow to help her down the stairs at Canada House." Royally quotable "As I have said before, 'Every time I come to Canada, a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream — and from there straight to my heart.'" — King Charles, in his speech from the throne delivered in the Canadian Senate on Tuesday.
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Polls suggest Canadians warming to King Charles, but ‘meh' on speech
Polls suggest Canadians warming to King Charles, but 'meh' on speech News Duration 1:53 Two recent polls suggest Canadians are warming to King Charles but don't care about the reason for his royal visit. One survey found 83 per cent of respondents were 'indifferent' to the throne speech, while another showed 45 per cent had a positive or somewhat positive view of Charles — up eight points since he took the throne.
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
An RCMP officer from N.L. chauffeured King Charles and Queen Camilla by horse-drawn carriage
An RCMP sergeant from Newfoundland and Labrador played a big role in escorting King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Senate chamber in Ottawa on Monday. Sgt. Jeremy Dawson of St. George's, a third generation RCMP officer, was the head coachman driving the royal carriage. He spoke with the CBC's Carolyn Stokes about what the honour means to him.
