Amid pomp and pageantry not seen for more than half a century, King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Canada‘s Parliament today.
Their Majesties were escorted in a horse-drawn landau and met by a Royal Salute from a 100-strong Guard of Honour at the Ottawa Senate building.
The event is the highlight of the couple’s whirlwind visit to the North American nation, Charles’ first as king.
He was invited by the country’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to formally open the new session of parliament in what is widely being interpreted as sign from Canada that its sovereignty is not for sale.
As a constitutional monarch, King Charles cannot publicly comment on recent threats by US President Donald Trump to ‘annexe’ Canada and make it American’s ’51st state’.
But his decision to accept the invitation to attend parliament’s state opening at such short notice – only the second time a King or Queen of Canada has ever done so, the last being his late mother in 1958 – is seen by Canadians as strong gesture of unity, and the red carpet is being duly rolled out.
Their Majesties travelled from Rideau Hall, the official residence for the monarch in Canada, to the Bank of Canada where they transferred into their open-topped carriage.
Built in the 1890s in Australia, it was bought by Canada’s ninth governor general, Earl Grey, who donated it to the country under the care of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The King and Queen travelled in a landau carriage to the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday
Queen Camilla and King Charles are greeted by cheering crowds and British flags in Ottawa on Tuesday
Recently-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney stood waiting for the royal couple outside the Senate of Canada
The King stood outside the Senate of Canada Building while a band played the Canadian national anthem
Amid pomp and pageantry not seen for more than half a century, King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Canada’s Parliament today
Canadians await the arrival of the King and Queen ahead of the Opening of Parliament today
embers of the guard of honour gather, on the day Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Senate of Canada Building
Former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau arrives ahead of an appearance by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Senate Chamber for the State Opening of Parliament
Trudeau attends the State Opening of Parliament along with representatives from Canada’s indigenous communities
The King and Queen will sit on these thrones commissioned in 2017 and built with English walnut wood from Great Windsor Park donated by Queen Elizabeth II
It was last used by the King and Queen on their 2017 royal tour of the country.
Queen Camilla was wearing a navy blue crepe silk embroidered dress by Fiona Clare, a navy blue hat by Philip Treacy and a navy blue Chanel bag.
She also sported her own Canadian Rifles brooch as the regiment’s colonel in chief, and a pearl and diamond choker.
The King was wearing a lounge suit with medals and his Order of Canada around his.
He was seen smiling to passersby while sat in a carriage on his way to Parliament, alongside his wife.
Recently-elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney awaited the royal couple outside the Senate of Canada, and the national anthem was played by a watching band.
Aides said the Queen’s great-great-great grandfather, Sir Allan Napier MacNab, was leading Canadian politician who led the ‘province of Canada’ as it was then known.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife, Fox, greeted them at the Senate building alongside a Royal Salute from a magnificent 100-person guard of honour from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment and a 21-gun salute.
The Royal Salute is a formal military honour reserved for members of the Royal Family or heads of state.
The King will be invited to inspect the guard before entering into the Senate, lead by The Usher of the Black Rod.
After introductions, the King will give his Speech from the Throne to officially open the 45th Parliament, outlining his government’s agenda and priorities much like in the UK.
It will be only the third time the Canadian monarch has read the speech, with the honour normally falling to the Governor General, their official representative in Canada. Queen Elizabeth previously gave the speech in 1957 and 1977.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has an audience with King Charles at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Ottawa yesterday for an historic visit to the country’s capital – the first by Charles as its head of state – to formally open parliament on Tuesday
Disembarking at Hanger 11, they were greeted by two ‘Mounties’ – members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – and a 25-strong Honour Guard from the Royal Canadian Dragoon, of which the King is Colonel-in-Chief
While the King does not write the speech himself – that is a matter for his government – he does intend to weave more personal elements into it reflecting on his affection for the country.
Organisers also say indigenous elements will be incorporated throughout the Speech from the Throne, representing the three distinct groups in Canada: First. Nations, Metis and Inuit.
Yesterday the couple were greeted by two ‘Mounties’ – members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – and a 25-strong Honour Guard from the Royal Canadian Dragoon, of which the King is Colonel-in-Chief.
Dignitaries including Governor-General of Canada Mary Simon, newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney and National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, as they touched down in Ottawa.
They met with local people including school groups before touring a marketplace and attending a tree-planting ceremony.
The King and Queen were repeatedly thanked for coming to Canada, as they made their way around a crowd during their first engagement of the royal visit.
As they made their way along the barriers, shaking hands with members of the public, they were told variations of ‘thank you for coming’ and ‘thank you so much for coming’, interspersed with anecdotes about how people had met his late mother during her previous visits.
Some shouted ‘God Save The King’, and a group sang an acapella version of the UK national anthem.
The King and Queen stopped for a few moments to talk to one of her regiments, the Queen’s Own Rifles of which Camilla is Colonel-in-Chief. She told them she was very pleased to see them.
One woman said she had ‘goosebumps’ after meeting the couple, having waited from 9am to secure her place in the crowd before finally seeing the King and Queen at around 2pm.
King Charles III meeting 100-year-old Weston Girl Betty Sinnett during a tree planting ceremony in Rideau Hall, Ottawa. The Weston Girls were 50 young women from across Canada who were sponsored by Canadian businessman Garfield Weston to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the summer of 1953
King Charles lll meeting with school children at the Airport in Ottawa
Heather Dorward, 46, told the King she had met the late Queen Mother when she was in Toronto as a schoolgirl. The King responded by telling she his grandmother ‘was amazing’.
The King and Queen went on to tour a small number of market stalls set up by local producers.
He asked staff running a falafel stand about their background in Syria and about their recipes, and praised Purebread Bakery for its use of ‘local origin heritage grains’.
At the Garland Sugar Shack, a member of the Royal Household purchased a two bottles of maple syrup for the King and Queen to take hom with them.
Inside, the King and Queen toured a selection of stalls from local charities, organisations and schools.
The King was given an update about the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance’s land use strategy, and spoke in French to La Tablee des Chefs about their work with students who were putting together bags of ‘solidarity soup’.
At a stall for Ingenium, a collection of three national museums, he was introduced to a Canadian Arcott sheep and a man riding a stationery bike to demonstrate how it takes 13 people riding one 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.’
Others in the crowd shouted ‘Welcome home,’ ‘Welcome to Canada’ and ‘God save the King’ as Charles and Camilla shook hands at Lansdowne Park, a community hub in Ottawa.
Mark Carney, the Prime Minister, and his wife Diana Fox Carney, acted as hosts to show their royal guests around with crowds shouting out ‘Mr Prime Minister’ and shaking the newly-elected leader’s hand.
