Yes, the King is noticeably more attentive of Canada than his late mother — I’ve talked about that subject in this newsletter. And yes, there seems to be a recent uptick in Canada-related events, but such increases aren’t unusual.
I think a good part of the focus on Canada is because of heightened sensitivities given the current situation — President Trump is using tariffs to damage our economy while threatening to invade/annex/take over Canada. To be blunt, everything that says “Canada” is now news. For instance, there’s no way I’d be spending so much time talking about a new sword for Black Rod in any other news cycle.
Still, the nature of the Canadian Crown is slowly sinking into the minds of the public and media (some British royal correspondents are correctly identifying Charles III the “King of Canada” when at purely Canadian events.
So let’s get to the list from the last week or so.
Prime Minister Mark Carney had an audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Monday while on a whirlwind trip to France and Britain.
This isn’t so much a “signal of support” for Canada as a standard event. As I noted on social media:
The King of Canada wants to meet his Canadian Prime Minister in person because that’s what usually happens when Cdn PMs are in the UK Also, for the King of Canada to *NOT* meet the Cdn PM on his first international trip during this crisis would be … a choice
The meeting got a lot of publicity and was documented by still and video (often, there’s just one or two photos)
Please note:
The King wore a red tie
The post starts with the emoji of a Canadian flag
The King wore his lapel pin of the Order of Canada (he is an extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada, awarded 2017 when he was Prince of Wales)
During the introduction, the PM mentioned that his own Order of Canda pin broke when it fell on the tarmac, gesturing to the Canadian flag pin in his lapel. The King immediately offered his own Order of Canada pin, to which the PM responded, “No, I’m not of that rank!”
There is a design for the pins of each rank. While the King is a companion, Carney is an officer of the Order of Canada, awarded 2014 for “leadership in the development of financial policy in Canada and around the world”)
The King gives a new ceremonial sword to the Senate’s Black Rod
What was notable about this long-planned audience with Gregory Peters, the 17th Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canada, the senior protocol officer of Parliament, who was accompanied by the Senate Speaker, is how much attention it got on royal social media accounts. Also, royal sources briefed the press that this meeting included a 30-minute discussion “on topics of great concern to all parties, both nationally and internationally.” Regular audiences are usually far shorter.
The King plants a red maple in the gardens of Buckingham Palace
I only figured out that the sapling was a red maple by googling Acer rubrum from the press release. It’s for the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative, “an environmental initiative, launched in 2015, united Commonwealth nations in a shared commitment to preserving indigenous forests, conserving over 12 million hectares across 115 sites,” according to the Royal Commonwealth Society.
Kate wears red and white for Canada at Commonwealth Day service
She wears red a lot and loves that Catharine Walker dress to the point that she’s has worn it three times since 2021. In addition, she is also fond of the white pearl choker that used to belong to the late Queen. Still, even the High Commissioner from Canada noticed the colour scheme.
At the Commonwealth service, the King and Queen sit in chairs and kneelers emblazoned with the Canadian coat of arms
The use of these items was expected, as it occurs all the time. The chairs and kneelers were given to Westminster Abbey by the Canada Club to commemorate Canada’s Second World War dead. The monarch and spouse always use those chairs when in the Abbey and have done so for decades.