The King and Queen were greeted with shouts of “welcome home” as they shook hands in Ottawa at the start of a whirlwind two-day visit to Canada amid its tensions with the US.
The inference was clear: no matter what they’re called in Britain, here they are the King and Queen of Canada.
Last week at Canada House in Trafalgar Square, Ralph Goodale, the high commissioner for Canada in the UK, told Charles: “Your dear mother Queen Elizabeth II often said to the delight of Canadians that a journey to Canada felt like coming home. We hope that you feel exactly the same way.”
After months of subtle signs of support for Canada in its trade war with the US, this visit was the full seal of approval.
Charles and Camilla flew in from RAF Brize Norton on board an Airbus CC-330 Husky, one of nine new aircraft acquired by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
At Ottawa’s MacDonald-Cartier International airport they were met by Mark Carney, the country’s new prime minister who was elected by Canadian voters incensed by President Trump’s reference to Canada being America’s 51st state.
Carney praised the “historic ties” between his nation and the UK “that crises only fortify” as the King and Queen were welcomed to Ottawa.
In a statement before their arrival, Carney said: “The royal visit is a reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown — one forged over generations, shaped by shared histories, and grounded in common values.
The Royal Canadian Dragoons formed a guard of honour for the royal couple
BEN STANSALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
“A bond that, over time, has evolved, just as Canada has, to reflect the strength, diversity, and confidence of our people.
“Tomorrow, His Majesty King Charles III will deliver the speech from the throne in the senate chamber, nearly 70 years after Canada’s sovereign first opened parliament.
“This historic honour matches the weight of our times. It speaks to our enduring tradition and friendship, to the vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our distinct identity, and to the historic ties that crises only fortify.”
Carney acted as host, travelling with the royal guests to Lansdowne Park, where the crowd’s whoops for the royals included a few cheers, handshakes and selfie requests for “Mr Prime Minister”, the man who sat in the Oval Office and told the US president that Canada was “not for sale”.
BEN STANSALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
BEN STANSALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
As Charles and Camilla visited a horticulture building to see stands representing groups and charities from across the country, they were joined by Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney.
This is the King’s 20th trip to Canada, but arguably his most important. For Charles, the short visit will be marked by two Ps — people and parliament.
First, the people.
The King planted a tree at Rideau Hall to mark the visit
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As the King and Queen made their way along the barriers, shaking hands with members of the public, they were told variations of “thank you so much for coming”.
Annie Riendeau, 50, from Montreal, showed Charles a tattoo of his late mother’s cipher EIIR on her inner forearm and told the him: “I’m going to get one for you too, soon.”
Judy McNally, 64, from Ottawa showed the couple a home-made sign that showed pictures of the Princess of Wales on her visit to Canada in 2011 along with the message “I met your daughter-in-law!”.
Some told the Queen she looked “so beautiful”.
Camilla, 77, was wearing a pink fringed Anna Valentine coatdress and, in a diplomatic nod to her hosts, a diamond maple leaf brooch, which was originally a gift from King George VI to his wife, Queen Elizabeth — later the Queen Mother.
The King and Queen visited Canada House in London last week to mark the 100th anniversary of its opening
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She wore it on an important royal visit to Canada in 1939 in the months preceding the Second World War when the UK was keen to shore up a trans-Atlantic alliance.
This time, palace sources acknowledged that the King must walk a “tightrope” between his role as head of state for the UK, a country that has invited Trump for a second state visit, and head of state for Canada, a nation fighting to reinforce its sovereignty in the face of comments from the US president that it is the 51st state and the border is an “artificially drawn line”.
There are other geopolitical issues that the King and Queen are happy to highlight.
The Queen expressed the royal family’s support for the people of Ukraine.
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as they then were, at Brigus in Newfoundland in 2009
CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES
Camilla was introduced to a group of volunteers for the Maple Hope Foundation, which runs the “Heal a Mother’s Heart” project. The initiative supports women in Ukraine who have lost their children or loved ones due to the war, offering recreational and psychological rehabilitation programmes and therapy for grief support. Camilla told them: “What you’re doing is so important.”
Maryna Popovych, president of Ukrainian Canadian Social Services (UCSS), replied: “Thanks to you and the whole royal family for your support for Ukraine, it means so much.”
Afterwards, Popovych’s husband, Volodymyr, who also works with UCSS, said of the Queen: “She said that a lot of Ukrainians had come to the UK because of the war and that the whole royal family supports Ukraine and Ukrainians at this difficult time.”
The King met with stallholders
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At a Garland Sugar Shack, a member of the royal household purchased two bottles of maple syrup for the King and Queen to take home with them.
At a stall for Ingenium, a collection of three national museums, he was introduced to a Canadian Arcott sheep and a man riding a stationary bike to demonstrate how it takes 13 people riding such a bike non-stop to power one average Canadian home.
The King was particularly interested in hearing about the sheep, which is considered a Canadian breeding success story, and said that he was “proud” to be a champion of wool.
At a table for the Red Cross, he said: “I’m trying to keep up with first aid. The problem is if you don’t use it, you forget it.”
On Tuesday, comes the second P, for parliament. It will be a chance to make history when Charles becomes the second sovereign to open the country’s parliament. His mother did so in 1957.
After meeting the public, they turned to official duties.
The King and Carney had a private meeting at Rideau Hall
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He also met with Mary Simon, the governor-general of Canada
BLAIR GABLE/REUTERS
Charles had an audience with Carney at Rideau Hall, the official residence of Mary Simon, the governor-general, in Ottawa, while Camilla followed in the late Prince Philip’s footsteps when she was sworn in as a member of the Canadian privy council during a brief ceremony.
As well as a new prime minister, there were old friends to meet, too.
While planting a tree near one they planted in 2017, Charles and Camilla were reunited with some of the Canadian women who, as teenagers, travelled from Canada to the UK for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
Carol Shipley and Monique Guilbault, both now 89, and Barbara Warmegent, 88, were among 50 young women from across Canada who were sponsored by the Canadian business Garfield Weston to attend.
In December 2023, the King surprised 12 of the group during a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the release of the documentary, Coronation Girls, which explored their lives since that historic trip.
Their Majesties planted a blue beech (Carpinus caroliniana), a small deciduous tree native to eastern North America, and shook hands and chatted with the three women.
Shipley said: “I’m very happy that the King came today, particularly at this time in our history when we are striving for our sovereignty. I’m just so happy that he came. He said ‘lovely to see you’.
“I think he’s a good king, we need leaders like him. He’s a force for good.”
Before they departed, Charles and Camilla watched as OrKidstra, a youth orchestra, performed Hymn to Freedom by Oscar Peterson.
Freedom will be on the minds of the Canadian government.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said that the King and Queen were “mindful that it is a short visit but hopefully an impactful one”.