British monarch is predicted to voice assist for Canada’s sovereignty towards the US president’s 51st state feedback.
King Charles III, the British monarch, has arrived in Canada for a two-day go to that officers say goals to claim assist for the nation’s sovereignty amid President Donald Trump’s requires annexing america’s northern neighbour.
The monarch’s journey, which began on Monday, comes on the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose social gathering received the overall election final month amid Trump’s threats.
Charles is the ceremonial head of state in Canada, which remained a Commonwealth realm after gaining independence from Nice Britain in 1867.
The king is to open parliament in Ottawa on Tuesday with a “Speech from the Throne” – the primary such deal with to be delivered by a British monarch in Canada since 1977.
Whereas the British monarch has shunned interfering in politics in latest many years and remained a symbolic determine, Charles is predicted to ship a message of assist for Canada towards Trump’s statements.
In a while Monday, Carney mentioned Canada is “honoured” to welcome Charles and his spouse Queen Camilla, including that the royal go to highlights “the vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our distinct id”.
“To that finish, the Speech from the Throne will define the federal government’s formidable plan to behave with urgency and dedication, and to ship the change Canadians need and deserve: to outline a brand new financial and safety relationship with america … to convey down the price of dwelling, and to maintain communities secure,” Carney mentioned in an announcement.
Canadian officers have forcefully rejected Trump’s feedback about making their nation the 51st US state as a commerce row between the 2 nations continues.
Canadians awaiting the arrival of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla at a Lansdowne Park group occasion in Ottawa, Might 26 (Dave Chan/AFP)
Canada’s envoy to the UK, Ralph Goodale, advised reporters final week that “the king, as head of state, will reinforce the facility” of Carney’s message that Canada shouldn’t be on the market.
Governor Common Mary Simon, the monarch’s ceremonial consultant in Canada, additionally mentioned the royal couple’s go to holds “profound significance”.
“It reaffirms the enduring constitutional bond that has formed Canada’s journey right into a proud and impartial nation,” Simon, who’s the primary Indigenous particular person to carry the place, mentioned in an announcement.
Charles’s journey will likely be his first go to to the previous British colony since changing into king in September 2022.
Barbara Messamore, professor of historical past on the College of the Fraser Valley, mentioned because the monarch of Canada, Charles visits the nation “as a Canadian”.
“The response to the king’s go to has been very constructive,” Messamore advised Al Jazeera. “We don’t at all times all agree on our type of governance, however we’ve made it very tough to vary that basic side of our Canadian structure.”
Justin Vovk, royal historian at McMaster College, careworn that the king is unlikely to make any specific statements towards Trump throughout his go to.
“If persons are anticipating to listen to Donald Trump’s identify talked about or ‘the 51st state’ talked about, they will be dissatisfied,” Vovk advised Al Jazeera. “The King has a really small constitutional field that he has to function in.”
He added that expressions of assist for Canada will “be couched in very generic phrases”.
On Monday, the royal couple greeted supporters at a park in Ottawa and met distributors and artists. The king additionally participated in a ceremonial puck drop to launch a road hockey demonstration earlier than planting a tree at Rideau Corridor in one other a part of town.
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla greet individuals as they go to Lansdowne Park throughout a two-day go to in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Might 26, 2025. (Hannah McKay/Pool/Reuters)
Supply hyperlink
