King Charles III and Queen Camilla will arrive in Canada on Monday for a two-day state visit. This occasion is thought to be a show of support from the Monarch to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, especially after Canada has had to parry verbal threats and taunts from US president Donald Trump.
PM Mark Carney, who recently won a general election on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment, invited the royal couple and will hold a meeting with them during their stay in Ottawa.
Trump has boldly claimed to make Canada the “51st state” of the USA. Carney, when he visited Trump at the White House earlier this month, stressed that Canada was “not for sale.”
The King is slated to read the “Speech from the Throne” to Canada’s Parliament on Tuesday, which will mark the first time a monarch has delivered this for almost 50 years. It is expected to include a defence of Canada’s sovereignty and to reject claims it should be taken over by the US.
King Charles will receive a ceremonial welcome at the airport in Ottawa on Monday and meet with community groups, which are expected to include representatives of Canada’s First Nation communities, and Canada’s first indigenous Governor General Mary Simon.
This is the King and Queen’s first visit to Canada since the start of their reign, after a planned trip last year was cancelled because of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s trip to Canada has been in the works for a long time, as it had to be cancelled last year due to the King’s cancer diagnosis.
By reading the Speech from the Throne the King is following in the footsteps of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who carried out the duty twice during her long reign in 1957 and 1977.
The Speech from the Throne is an integral part of the opening of a new session of Parliament. It takes place after an election or when Parliament resumes following a prorogation. The speech summarizes the government’s goals for the new session.
Speaking ahead of the King’s visit and State Opening, Carney said, “This is an historic honour which matches the weight of our times.”