New details have been revealed about Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla’s upcoming tour of Canada from May 17-19.
Prince Charles (73) and Duchess Camilla (74) are traveling through Canada from May 17th to 19th. New details have now been announced. Accordingly, the heir to the throne and his wife are driving from Newfoundland and Labrador to Ottawa and then to the Northwest Territories. They will cover more than 3000 kilometers, as reported by “People” magazine.
Contact with “Canadians from Coast to Coast”
“Their Royal Highnesses will have the opportunity to meet, listen and celebrate with Canadians from coast to coast,” said Chris Fitzgerald, the prince’s deputy private secretary, on Tuesday. “To celebrate the outstanding example of the Queen’s service over seven decades, Her Royal Highnesses especially look forward to meeting some of the many Canadians who have ministered in their own communities over the years and most recently during the pandemic,” he continued quoted.
“Throughout the journey, Their Royal Highnesses will take the opportunity to engage with the indigenous communities. For five decades, His Royal Highness has been learning from the indigenous peoples of Canada and around the world. He recognizes their deep connection to the land and the water and the important traditional knowledge they possess to restore harmony between man and nature,” the announcement said.
The specific dates
The couple are expected to arrive in St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador on May 17. After a welcome ceremony, at which Charles will address a brief address, they will “participate in a solemn moment of reflection and prayer in the Heart Garden in the grounds of Government House with Indigenous leaders and community members in a spirit of reconciliation,” Fitzgerald said Tuesday. “The Heart Gardens commemorate all Indigenous children lost to the boarding system, recognizing those who survived and the families of both.”
In Newfoundland, visit the Quidi Vidi, where beer is made from iceberg water extracted from the naturally migrating Newfoundland icebergs.
During their May 18 visit to Ottawa, the couple will meet with members of the country’s Ukrainian community, which is the largest outside of Europe. Charles and Camilla will hold a prayer service with them.
“To honor Canada’s long history of hosting people seeking refuge and a better life, Their Royal Highnesses will visit a school in Vanier, one of Ottawa’s vibrant francophone communities, where children and parents from around the world are supported and served as new Canadians will be welcomed,” Fitzgerald added.
Another special moment will take place in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, where Charles will visit an “ice road” to see how climate change is affecting Indigenous communities, whose journeys are becoming longer and more expensive as their usual route changes due to the… melt caused by heating has been cut off. Temperatures are rising three times faster in the region than in the world.
In the meantime, Camilla, who works against domestic and sexual violence, will be a guest in a women’s and children’s home.
To conclude the trip, Charles will visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, which he opened in 1979 to showcase the culture and history of the people of the North West Territories. There they are expected to meet with the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and members of the local Indigenous communities to learn about Indigenous traditions.
Travel to celebrate the Queen
The trip comes in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s (96) Platinum Jubilee, which marks her historic 70 years on the throne. “All in all, the Jubilee Year trip is an opportunity to continue our long association with Canadians, to listen and learn from communities across Canada, and to celebrate Her Majesty’s Jubilee,” continued Fitzgerald.
It is Prince Charles’ 19th visit to Canada and Duchess Camilla’s fifth. Her last stay there was in the summer of 2017.
The visit follows the trip of Prince William (39) and Duchess Kate (40) to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas as well as the current Caribbean trip of Prince Edward (58) and Countess Sophie (57). Both trips have been accompanied by protests and campaigns focused on Britain’s colonial past and its historic role in the slave trade – including calls for reparations and plans to remove the Queen as head of state.
Prince William expressed his “regret” for Britain’s role in the slave trade, joining Charles in saying in Barbados last November that slavery “stains our history forever”.