Monday 21 May 2012

Royal Visit to Canada

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have arrived in Canada to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with the Canadian people.

The four-day trip is at the request of the Canadian Government.  It will take place from 20th to 23rd May and will see Their Royal Highnesses celebrate Victoria Day.

Canada has received frequent visits from its Royal Family in recent years. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made their first overseas visit as a married couple to the country last summer; The Queen visited in 2010; The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited in November, 2009.

The Airbus jet arrived at Fredericton International Airport in the province of Brunswick in hazy summer sunshine.


Flying from the cockpit window, as the plane taxied to a stop, was His Royal Highness's new Canadian standard featuring the Prince of Wales's feathers and the maple leaf, the Commonwealth country's national symbol.

At the bottom of the plane's steps a line of regional dignitaries greeted TRH, who will receive an official welcome full of pomp and ceremony tomorrow at the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Prince Charles received an aboriginal welcome gift of sweetgrass, twisted strands of the plant, from Graydon Nicholas, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.

A military display of pomp and pageantry will be staged later today at Gagetown to welcome Their Royal Highnesses, who will later meet the families of Canadian servicemen killed on operations.

Later TRH will fly to Toronto, the second leg of their visit, where they will meet members of emergency services and their families to highlight the importance of service in communities, before watching the city's fireworks display in honour of Victoria Day.

1 comment :

Rex Hunter said...

mention of the Jubilee prompts me to appeal to His Lordship to ensure he is present for the Thames Pageant : his readers are agog to learn of it first-hand. It seems obligatory for him to be in London for this truly momentous weekend !