Their Majesties King Charles III, the King of Canada, and Queen Camilla commenced their state visit with greetings from the Right Honourable Prime Minister Mark Carney and assembled Canadian citizens.
On Monday, King Charles landed in Ottawa where he was greeted by Governor General Mary Simon and her husband Whit Fraser, along with Carney and his wife Diana Fox.
King Charles then attended a community event in Lansdowne Park where he was greeted by thousands of fawning Canadians seeking the opportunity to meet the King.
While in Ottawa, King Charles viewed an Indian dance routine with dancers in foreign garb, dropped the puck at a children’s hockey game, and visited several vendors and display booths exhibiting various aspects of Canadian culture.
The King then attended a ceremonial tree planting at Rideau Hall before meeting another large group of Canadians and entering the Governor General’s residence to hold closed-door meetings with Simon and Carney.
On the Governor General’s X page, Simon referred to her conversation with King Charles as deepening a “bond between nations,” implying that the King was visiting from the United Kingdom, rather than his own country, Canada.
“These ongoing conversations deepen the meaningful bond between our nations,” reads the post, with a Canadian and a British emoji side-by-side.
King Charles is set to deliver the Speech from the Throne Tuesday morning to open the 45th Parliament, articulating the Carney government’s agenda for the coming parliamentary session.
The royal tour will close with King Charles attending a wreath laying at the National War Memorial, marking the 25th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
While many Canadians were thrilled to see the King, many more Canadians were turning a cold shoulder to the monarchy.
In a recent poll from Angus Reid, 43 per cent of Canadians expressed an unfavourable view of King Charles, compared to 29 per cent who said they held a favourable view of the King.
Only 30 per cent of Canadians said that they believe Canada should continue as a constitutional monarchy “for generations to come,” while 46 per cent of Canadians are against the idea.
83 per cent of Canadians indicated indifference to King Charles delivering the throne speech while only 17 per cent of Canadians expressed excitement.