Royal tours of Canada by the Canadian Royal Family

A crowd in Victoria, British Columbia watch King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth coming up the walkway during their 1939 royal tour of Canada.

Royal tours of Canada by the Canadian Royal Family have been taking place since 1786,[1] and continue into the 21st century, either as an official tour, a working tour, a vacation, or a period of military service by a member of the royal family. Originally, official tours were events predominantly for Canadians to see and possibly meet members of their Royal Family, with the associated patriotic pomp and spectacle. However, nearing the end of the 20th century, such occasions took on the added dimension of a theme; for instance, the 2005 tour of Saskatchewan and Alberta by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was deemed to be a vehicle for the Queen and Canadians to honour "The Spirit of Nation Builders."[2] The couple's tour in 2010 was themed "Honouring the Canadian Record of Service— Past, Present and Future."[3] Official royal tours have always been vested with civic importance, providing a regionalised country with a common thread of loyalty.[4]

Also, junior members of the Royal Family began to undertake unofficial "working" tours of Canada; in this method, royal figures are invited by provinces, municipalities, and other organizations to events which the latter fund without assistance from the federal government. The Queen's children, The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex, as well as the Queen's cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, have all made several small tours in this fashion.

The first royal figure to be present in Canada was the future King William IV, who arrived on the country's east coast in 1786 while an officer in the Royal Navy. However, while his niece, Queen Victoria, never came to Canada, it was during Victoria's reign that her son, the future King Edward VII, initiated the traditional format of the Canadian royal tour: partaking in official engagements, meeting politicians and the public, and reviewing troops.[5] While invitations had been regularly made since 1858 for the reigning monarch to tour Canada,[6] it was in 1939 that George VI became the first to actually do so. During that trip, the King's wife, Queen Elizabeth, initiated the tradition of the "royal walkabout",[7] though her brother-in-law, the former King Edward VIII, had been frequently meeting with everyday Canadian people in 1919; as he said: "Getting off the train to stretch my legs, I would start up conversations with farmers, section hands, miners, small town editors or newly arrived immigrants from Europe."[8]

Royal tours can take upwards of a year to organize. The planning is coordinated by the Canadian Secretary to the Queen.[9] What regions are visited is decided by a rotational formula.[9] Modern tours have run with a theme, such as that of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2010, which was intended to highlight "the Canadian record of service—past, present and future";[10] themes are decided upon by the Queen's secretary together with the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Office of the Prime Minister.[9] In summer 2011, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured Canada in their first official overseas trip as a married couple.

18th century

The Prince William (later William IV), made numerous visits to Halifax between 1786 and 1789 while serving as lieutenant and later captain of HMS Pegasus part of the Royal Navy's North American Station based at the Halifax Naval Yard. On 21 August 1786, he celebrated his 21st birthday on his ship in the waters off Newfoundland.[11]

The Prince Edward (later father of Queen Victoria) served as military commander at Halifax from 1794 to 1800 (he was created Duke of Kent in 1799).

19th century

Edward, Prince of Wales visiting Niagara Falls in 1860, during his two-month tour of Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada.

The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) undertook a two-month tour of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Upper Canada, and Lower Canada in 1860. He travelled through St. John's, there attending the St. John's Regatta.[11]

He landed at Charlottetown on 10 August 1860, where he was welcomed by Governor George Dundas and proceeded to Government House. There, he held audience with the Executive Council. Over the course of the visit, the Prince of Wales toured the countryside around Charlottetown, held a levee at Government House, and visited Province House, where he received the addresses of the Executive Council and later attended a ball that lasted until 3:00 am. Upon his departure, he left with the Governor £150 for charitable use.[12] At Ottawa, the Prince laid the foundation stone of the parliament buildings.[13] In Quebec, he stayed at the Governor General's residence at Spencerwood, dedicated the Victoria Bridge, and took a raft run of the timber slides of the Chaudière River.[11] In Toronto, he opened Queen's Park before heading on to see Niagara Falls, which were illuminated for the first time for his visit.[14] There, he rode on the Maid of the Mist, met at Queenston Heights with veterans of the War of 1812, dedicated a rebuilt Brock's Monument, as the original had been blown up years earlier by Fenian Raiders, and visited with Laura Secord,[15][16] and in Hamilton dedicated and planted a tree in Prince's Square.

A year later, The Prince Alfred (later Duke of Edinburgh) took five weeks to tour the maritime provinces, Newfoundland, and Lower Canada. He was from time to time between 1878 and 1883 stationed in Halifax as Commander of the Royal Navy's North Atlantic Squadron.[11]

During his 1869 royal tour, Prince Arthur met with the Chiefs of the Six Nations at the Mohawk Chapel.

In 1869, Queen Victoria's third son, Prince Arthur (later Duke of Connaught) arrived for training with the Rifle Brigade based at Montreal. It was not all work for the Prince, though; among other activities, Arthur attended an investiture ceremony in Montreal, met with Canadians at balls and garden parties, and toured towns throughout Ontario and Quebec, the entire trip documented in photographs that were sent back for the Queen to view.

Prince George of Wales was in 1882 stationed in the Maritimes as a midshipman on HMS Cumberland and, during his time there, drove the last spike into Newfoundland's first railway, the Harbour Grace Railway.[17]

The Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, and her husband, the Governor General the Marquess of Lorne, in 1881 toured Ontario, becoming the first royals to attend the Queen's Plate,[18] which had been founded by the Queen in 1860. They were also the first royals to pass through what is today Saskatchewan in 1882,[19] and during a stop at the not yet named territorial capital, in the dining room of the Royal Train, Princess Louise named the new community Regina, after her mother, the Queen.[20]

Princess Louise accompanies the Marquess of Lorne, the Governor General of Canada during the opening the 4th Canadian Parliament, 1879.

Princess Louise was visited by her family in Canada: her brother, The Prince Leopold (later Duke of Albany), came and reviewed the troops on the Plains of Abraham and fished on the Cascapédia River; and Prince George of Wales (later George V), Louise's nephew, was in Canada as a midshipman, visiting Niagara Falls, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, and staying for a lengthy period at Government House in Ottawa.[21]

One of Louise's other brothers, The Duke of Connaught, with his wife the Duchess, visited Ontario in 1890.

Early 20th century (1901–1950)

As modern modes of transportations allowed for easier travel across the oceans, more of the Royal Family came to tour the King's northern Dominion. The first since Queen Victoria's death was the second son of the reigning king, Prince George (later George V) and his wife (later Queen Mary), the Duchess of Cornwall and York, arrived in Canada in 1901 aboard the RMS Ophir, which was chartered by the Admiralty. The royal party – which consisted of 22 people, including the Duchess' brother Prince Alexander of Teck – landed at Quebec City on 16 September, from where the group then travelled to Montreal – where separate Francophone and Anglophone welcoming committees caused confusion – and then on to Ottawa, where the Duke watched the lacrosse final for the Minto Cup, which he enjoyed so much he kept the ball that was used. They then shot the timber slide at the Chaudière River, watched canoe races, and picnicked in Rockcliffe woods, near Ottawa.

They passed through Ontario, creating "incredible excitement seldom seen since the visit of his father in 1860."[11] Amongst other duties, the Prince dedicated the Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa, in honour of Queen Alexandra.[17] The Duke and Duchess moved on to Manitoba where the former opened the new science building at the University of Manitoba, and then to Regina in the North-West Territories.[20] In Calgary, they met with First Nations chiefs and viewed exhibitions. Westward, they ended up in Vancouver and Victoria, to turn back again towards Banff, where the Duchess went to Tunnel Mountain and Lake Louise while the Duke went to Poplar Point.

After passing back through Regina,[20] they reunited in Toronto, welcomed by the Mendelssohn Choir, and attended concerts at Massey Hall. It was then around southern Ontario and back Montreal again, where the Duke opened the newly rebuilt Victoria Bridge. The tour ended with a trip through Saint John, Halifax, and then out of Canada to the still separate Newfoundland.[22][23]

The Prince returned only once more before he became king, when he visited in 1908, by then as Prince of Wales, to celebrate the tercentenary of Quebec City's founding. Prince Arthur arrived in Toronto once again on 14 April, where he was greeted at the Canadian Pacific Railway station by 2,500 people, and three days later visited the Royal Ottawa Golf Club, moving between greens in a special electric car.

Prince Arthur visits Valcartier base as the Governor General in 1914. He served the position from 1911 to 1916.

After the turn of the 20th century, Canada's Governor General, then The Duke of Connaught, in 1912 inaugurated the Legislative Building and laid the cornerstone of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist,[19][24] He also toured British Columbia and laid the cornerstone for the new Provincial Library at the provincial parliament building.[25]

In September 1919, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), was in Ontario on a number of occasions; he first travelled throughout the province in 1919, laying the foundation stone of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, opening the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, meeting with the League of Canadian Indians at Sault Ste. Marie, and taking a three-day canoe trip down the Nipigon River to fish and hunt with two personal Ojibwa guides.[26] The Prince then came to Saskatchewan and while there renamed a branch library in Regina as the Prince of Wales Library. He toured areas of greater Vancouver, attending a civic reception and military ball, as well as opening the New Westminster Exhibition.[25] The Prince also went on to Victoria, where he laid the foundation stone of a statue of Queen Victoria on the grounds of the provincial parliament building.[27]

Edward, Prince of Wales with two Ojibwe guides, canoe on the Nipigon River during his 1919 royal tour.

The Prince of Wales in 1923 and 1924 spent time at his ranch in Alberta, touring as well various towns and cities; in the latter year, he stopped at Rideau Hall for various official functions and again frustrated his staff by disappearing for dancing and golf.[28]

In 1926, the Prince's brother, The Prince George (later Duke of Kent), arrived in Canada and actively took part in squash, badminton, and tennis games played in Rideau Hall's Tent Room;[29] the Governor General, The Marquess of Willingdon, said of the Prince: "Such a nice boy, but shy, & as mad ib exercise as the P. of W."[30]

In August 1927, the Prince of Wales and the Prince George opened Union Station in Toronto, the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place,[31] and dedicated the Peace Bridge across the Niagara River.

The 1939 royal tour of Canada was a cross-Canada royal tour by George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It was one of the first visits of a reigning monarch to Canada (in 1926, Queen Marie of Romania also visited the country[32]). It began 17 May 1939, and saw the couple visit every Canadian province as well as the United States and the Dominion of Newfoundland.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit the King's Plate in Toronto, during the 1939 royal tour.

The King and Queen arrived in Quebec city, and travelled west by rail through the country visiting most of the major cities and finally arriving in Vancouver. They were greeted in Toronto by the Mayor of Toronto, Ralph Day. They then visited three destinations in the United States, Washington DC, New York City and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's private dwelling in Hyde Park, New York, along with Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The tour ended with a visit to the Maritimes and Newfoundland, departing from Halifax.

This tour marked the first time that the sovereign's official Canadian birthday was marked with the monarch himself present in the country; the occasion was marked on Parliament Hill with a celebration and a Trooping of the Colour.

Later, during a tour of Canada, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother stated in a speech: "It is now some 46 years since I first came to this country with the King, in those anxious days shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. I shall always look back upon that visit with feelings of affection and happiness. I think I lost my heart to Canada and Canadians, and my feelings have not changed with the passage of time."[33]

By 1945, Alan Lascelles, the private secretary of George VI, and Shuldham Redfern, Secretary to the Governor General of Canada, were discussing the idea of the King making regular flights to Canada to open parliament and perform other constitutional and ceremonial duties. The notion was eventually forgotten.[34]

Late 20th century (1951–2000)

Elizabeth II

1950s

The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh along with Prince Philip during their 1951 royal tour.

The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, made their first appearance in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Alberta in 1951, on behalf of her ailing father.[35]

The couple toured New Brunswick; after the Princess and Duke arrived at Fredericton's Union Station on 6 November, they were there greeted by both Lieutenant Governor David Laurence MacLaren and hundreds of well-wishers,[36] and moved on to tour the University of New Brunswick, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Legislative Assembly Building.[37] It was then on to Saint John, where the royal couple travelled in a motorcade watched by some 60,000 people, visited a veterans' hospital, and attended a civic dinner at the Admiral Beatty Hotel, where the silver flatware designed specifically for the 1939 visit of the King was used. After an overnight on the royal train, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh made whistle-stops in Moncton and Sackville before departing the province.[38] In Toronto, she took in a Toronto Maple Leafs game at Maple Leaf Gardens and greeted Ontarians at numerous official functions.

Aside from a brief stop-over for refuelling in Gander, Newfoundland in 1953— during which the Queen decided, after being roused from sleep at 3:20 am by their singing of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow", to address the crowd gathered outside,[39]

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip at the opening of the 23rd Canadian Parliament, 14 October 1957.

Her Majesty returned to Canada in 1957, there giving her first ever live television address, appointing her husband to her Canadian Privy Council at a meeting which she chaired, and on 14 October, opening the first session of the 23rd parliament.[40] About 50,000 people descended on Parliament Hill to witness the arrival of the monarch.[41] Due to the financial austerity of the times,[42] the pageantry was muted in comparison to what would be seen at a similar event in the United Kingdom. June Callwood said in her coverage of the tour for Maclean's: "The Queen's role in Canada, it appeared to some observers, hinged on calculated pageantry, just enough to warm the pride of Canadians who revere tradition and stateliness above state but not so much as to antagonize those who consider royalty a blindingly off-colour bauble in an age of lean fear."[43] In Saskatchewan, the Queen inaugurated the natural gas-fired Queen Elizabeth Power Station on the South Saskatchewan River.[20]

Two years later, in 1959 the Queen returned and toured every province and territory of the country; Buckingham Palace officials and the Canadian government opted to dub this a "royal tour", as opposed to a "royal visit", to dispel any notion that the Queen was a visiting foreigner.[44] Controversy arose in the run-up to the visit when CBC personality Joyce Davidson, while being interviewed by Dave Garroway on NBC's Today Show, said that as an "average Canadian" she was "pretty indifferent" to the Queen's forthcoming visit. Davidson was lambasted in the Canadian press and by many indignant Canadians for her comment.[45] Regardless, the Queen toured the entire country, specifically directing that events she attended should be public, rather than closed luncheons or receptions;[46] further, popular Canadian athletic stars were invited to royal events for the first time, so that during her tour the Queen met with Jean Béliveau, Sam Etcheverry, Maurice Richard, Punch Imlach, and Bud Grant.[47]

Motorcade of The Queen at the intersection of Yonge and Front Street, Toronto, during her 1959 royal tour.

One of the most important events of this trip was the official opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, along with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, where, in Prescott, Ontario, The Queen made her first live appearance on Canadian television.[48] During this tour, the Queen paid numerous visits to Canadian industries,[49] and again made a visit to the United States as Canada's head of state, stopping in Chicago and Washington, D.C., with Diefenbaker as her attending minister. The Prime Minister insisted that the Queen be accompanied at all times by a Canadian Cabinet minister, being determined to make it clear to Americans that the Queen was visiting the United States as the Canadian monarch, and that "it is the Canadian embassy and not the British Embassy officials who are in charge" of the Queen's itinerary.[50] Her Majesty's speeches in Chicago, written by her Canadian ministers, stressed steadily the fact that she had come to call as Queen of Canada.[51] In this vein, the Queen hosted the return dinner for Eisenhower at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.[45]

Her Majesty returned to New Brunswick, at the end of her pan-Canada tour. The sovereign presided over a Queen's Scout recognition ceremony in Fredericton, visited the veterans' hospital in Lancaster, and undertook a walkabout in Victoria Park, Moncton. At Pointe-du-Chêne, the royal couple visited briefly with the families of fishermen who had died the previous month in a storm off Escuminac, making a donation to the New Brunswick Fisherman's Disaster Fund that was established in honour of the deceased.[52] The Queen returned to Nova Scotia, where she departed for England on 1 August 1959. The staircase that she walked on during this final day of her Canadian tour is preserved at CFB Halifax.

The "Queen's Steps" staircase, used by the Queen on the last day of her 1959 royal tour, at CFB Halifax.

Unknown to all involved, the Queen was pregnant with her third child. Prime Minister Diefenbaker urged her to cut the tour short after her disclosure to him at Kingston, Ontario, but Her Majesty swore him to secrecy and continued the journey, leaving the public announcement of the upcoming birth until she returned to London.[45]

Once the news was released, criticism of the tour that had simmered during its progress unleashed in full: Diefenbaker was blamed for pushing the Queen to carry on a grueling continent-wide trip, and the brevity of stops necessary to complete such a journey, combined with the formality and inaccessibility of events, led to calls for a cease to that format of royal tour. The Albertan stated: "The fact is that royalty has no roots in Canada. And if roots must be put down, they certainly should be of a different kind than those which are historically proper for Britain."[53] Prior to the tour, the President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society, with the support of the Mayor of Quebec City, requested of the tour officials that, on the evening of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Her Majesty light the main bonfire in celebration. Though the Queen did lay a wreath at the James Wolfe Monument on the Plains of Abraham, the Queen's Canadian Secretary at the time, Howard Graham, left the bonfire off the itinerary, leading to complaints.[54]

Successes were also noted, especially in the Crown's assistance in entrenching the newly emerging Canadian identity; the Queen ensured that the Red Ensign (then Canada's national flag) was flown on the Royal Yacht, and she stood to attention for the duration of each playing of "O Canada", the country's then still unofficial national anthem, sometimes even joining in the singing.[55]

1960 to 2000

The Queen walks with John Clyne, the Chancellor of the University of British Columbia during her 1983 royal tour of Canada.

The Queen Elizabeth II also celebrated the centennial of the Confederation Conferences in Charlottetown in 1964.

In 1971, the Queen was in British Columbia to celebrate the centennial of the province's entry into Confederation.[35] She toured Alberta and Saskatchewan in July 1973, to celebrate the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, opening the new RCMP museum building in Regina,[20] and in 1978, to open the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.[56] In Saskatchewan, Her Majesty dedicated Queen Elizabeth Court, in front of Regina's city hall.[20]

28 June – 6 July 1976: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward joined the Queen and Prince Philip for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Princess Anne was a member of the British equestrian team competing in the Olympics in Montreal. The royal family also stopped by Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the visit. Her Majesty arrived at Fredericton, New Brunswick, on 15 July, after which she travelled to Woolastook Provincial Park to visit the Boy Scout Jamboree campsite, picniced with 3,500 schoolchildren, toured the Kings Landing Historical Settlement,[57] and attended a provincial dinner with fireworks following.[58] The Queen's second day in New Brunswick brought her to the Miramichi area, where she attended a provincial lunch, visited Chatham and Newcastle, and toured the Burchill Laminating Plant in Nelson-Miramichi.[38]

The Queen also journeyed to New Brunswick to celebrate the province's bicentennial in 1984, touching down, along with Prince Philip, at Moncton airport on 24 September, from where the royal party travelled to Shediac, Sackville, Riverview, and Fredericton over the course of three days. While at the Legislative Building, the Queen issued a Royal Warrant augmenting the province's coat of arms with its present crest, supporters, compartment, motto.[59] She also, when in Fredericton, unveiled a plaque in Wilmot Park that honoured Edward Wilmot and recounted the dedication of the park by the Queen's great-grandfather.[59]

The Queen opened the University of Northern British Columbia in 1994.[60]

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Scouts Canada's Fourth Pentathlon Jamboree in 1976.

The Duke of Edinburgh, consort to Elizabeth II, has visited the realm on two occasions to open two multi-sport event, the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and the 1967 Pan American Games. The trip was one of many visits to Canada the Duke has made without Elizabeth II. Other visits without Elizabeth II occurred in 1960, 1962, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1998, as he was charing the Commonwealth Study Conference, hosted in Canada during those years. He has also made 11 trips to Canada in relation to The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.[61] The Duke has also made several visits relating to his role with the Armed Forces. He was appointed the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Regiment on 8 December 1953, he presented the 3rd Battalion's first colours on Parliament Hill in 1973.

Cumulatively, he has made more than 70 visits to Canada, including 19 royal tours with Elizabeth II.[61]

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales, along with his sister, The Princess Anne presided over the 1970 celebrations of the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Confederation.[62]

The Prince and his first wife, The Princess of Wales attended the bicentennial in 1983 of the arrival of the first Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia,[63] and also visited Newfoundland to mark the 400th anniversary of the island becoming a British colony.[64]

The Prince and Princess of Wales toured British Columbia in the spring of 1986, visiting Vancouver to open Expo 86 (on 2 May 1986), as well as Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops and Nanaimo. [65]

In 1991, The Prince and Princess of Wales toured Ontario; in Toronto, the Princess was joined on board the Royal Yacht Britannia by her two sons, Princes William and Harry, and caused some controversy when she broke from established protocol by enthusiastically hugging the two boys after they ran up the gangplank to meet her. After performing official duties in the city, including a formal dinner at the Royal York hotel, the royal family then went on to visit Sudbury, Kingston, Ottawa, and Niagara Falls, where the princes, as their great-great-great-grandfather had done, rode on the Maid of the Mist.[66]

Other royal family members

The Princess Royal (Countess of Harewood), toured Canada in 1955 visiting Québec, Montréal, Kingston, Ottawa, Hull, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Malton, Winnipeg, St. Boniface, Victoria, and Vancouver. The Princess Royal once again toured Canada in 1962, visiting the cities of Victoria, Vancouver, Trenton, Kingston, Toronto, Ottawa, Québec. During this time, she presented new colours earned in Second World War by The Canadian Scottish Regiment and visited the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals as she served both as Colonel-in-Chief. The Princess Royal returned to Canada in 1964 and marked the 50th anniversary of the departure of the first contingent of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment from St. John's to the battlefields of World War I.

Four members of the Royal Family—The Queen; Prince Philip; Prince Andrew; and Prince Edward—at the opening of the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, queen-consort to King George VI, and mother of Elizabeth II, returned to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to celebrate Canada's centennial in 1967.[63] On a visit in 1985 to Toronto and Saskatchewan she noted, "It is now some 46 years since I first came to this country with the King, in those anxious days shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. I shall always look back upon that visit with feelings of affection and happiness. I think I lost my heart to Canada and Canadians, and my feelings have not changed with the passage of time."[67]

Elizabeth II's sister, The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, toured Nova Scotia and British Columbia in 1958.[63] In BC, the Princess opened the new floating bridge in Kelowna, with two plaques marking the ceremony.[27] She also presided over the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Saskatchewan's entry into Confederation.[20]

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy toured Canada for its centenary in 1967, and also arrived in Halifax in 1973 to mark the bicentennial of the arrival of the Hector, the first ship to land at Nova Scotia with Scottish colonists.[63]

The Princess Anne presided over the 1970 celebrations of the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Confederation alongside his brother, the Prince of Wales.[62]

Elizabeth II also enrolled her son, The Prince Andrew, at Lakefield College School, in Selwyn, Ontario for one year. The Prince Andrew undertook his first official tour of Nova Scotia in 1985, during which, amongst other activities, he visited Halifax and skippered the Bluenose II,[63] and helped celebrate the bicentennial of Sydney.

21st century

Elizabeth II

The Queen in Queen's Park, Toronto, during her 2010 royal tour.

In 2002, Elizabeth II toured the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the territory of Nunavut, for her Golden Jubilee.

In 2005, the Queen was in Alberta again to mark the province's 100th anniversary of entry into Confederation, where she attended, along with an audience of 25,000, a kick-off concert at Commonwealth Stadium, re-designated the Provincial Museum of Alberta as the Royal Alberta Museum, and addressed the Legislative Assembly, becoming the first reigning monarch to do so.[68] The Alberta Ministry of Learning encouraged teachers to focus education on the monarchy and to organize field trips for their students to see the Queen and her consort, or to watch the events on television.[69] In Saskatchewan, the Queen presided over the main events for the centennial of Saskatchewan's creation, as well as touring the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron and the University of Saskatchewan,[70] where, in the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, is stored correspondence between former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and the Queen.

In 2010, Elizabeth II visited Ontario and Manitoba as part of the 2010 royal tour of Canada. Arriving in Ottawa 30 June 2010, she toured the Canadian Museum of Nature and met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The following day, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh joined the festivities for Canada Day on Parliament Hill. The Royal Tour of Canada ended as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh departed for New York on 6 July 2010, following visits to Toronto and Waterloo.[71]

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

Charles, Prince of Wales visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia during his 2014 royal tour of Canada.

The Prince of Wales in 2001 again visited Toronto and Ottawa, where his interactions with the crowds kept Prime Minister Jean Chrétien waiting for twenty minutes. He toured Saskatchewan and turned the sod for the Prince of Wales Cultural and Recreation Centre in Assiniboia and dedicated the Anniversary Arch outside Regina's YMCA.[20]

On 14 December, it was announced that Camilla and Charles would come to Regina in May 2012 as well as New Brunswick and Ontario (Toronto). This trip is in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in February 2012.

In May 2014, Charles and Camilla visited Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba.

In 2017, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were in Canada from 29 June to 1 July for Canada Day celebration and for the country's sesquicentennial celebrations.[72] They visited Nunavut and Ontario.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge watch the inspection of the Governor General's Foot Guards during their 2011 royal tour of Canada.

William, Duke of Cambridge has visited Canada with his mother and father (the Prince and Princess of Wales) in 1991 and 1998. However, the 2011 royal tour of Canada was the first time Prince William, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visited Canada as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The tour saw the newlywed couple visit all of Canada's regions. It was the first such tour undertaken by the Duke and Duchess since their marriage two months prior.[73]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in May 2014, in commemoration of 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, as well as the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference.

Anne, Princess Royal

The Princess Royal has made a number of official and private visits to Canada as she is honorary Canadian Forces colonel in chief of 6 units. Her latest visit was a private function in St. John's, NL in April 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. She marked Regina's centennial.[20]

The Princess Royal made a visit to Barrie, Ontario on 22 October 2013 to commemorate the opening of park with military significance and to visit the Grey and Simcoe Foresters, for which she their current colonel-in-chief.[74]

The Princess Royal and her husband Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence arrived in Canada on 10 November 2014 in Ottawa for a two-day visit with focus on Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa on 11 November 2014.[75]

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex

The Prince Edward, Elizabeth II's son, undertakes an annual visit to Canada, to interact with a number of charities of which he is involved with, including the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Since 1987, The Prince Edward has visited Prince Edward Island on a number of occasions.

In 2003, the Prince opened two parks in Saskatchewan, the Prince Edward Park in Melfort and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Rose Garden in Moose Jaw.[20] He had earlier opened Prince Edward Building, in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1994.

In 2005, the Earl of Wessex and his wife, the Countess, toured Ontario; the Earl visited Peterborough, Prince Edward County, and Toronto, while the Countess went to Welland to be installed as Colonel-in-Chief of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.[76]

Other royal family members

Prince Philip with members of The Royal Canadian Regiment in 2013.

After 2000,[77] the Sophie, Countess of Wessex accompanied her husband, Prince Edward on a number of tours of Prince Edward Island. Her arrival there in 2002 marked her first official tour outside of the United Kingdom.[78] In 2009, Countess of Wessex opened the Air Force Museum of Alberta in Calgary, spending some hours visiting its displays.[79]

The Duke of York came twice in 2003, at one point going into the field in full combat uniform to observe tactical exercises and address the troops of the Queen's York Rangers, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief.[80] In July 2011, the Duke made a private trip, with his daughters the princesses, to Norman Wells, NWT.

On the 27 April 2013, Prince Philip, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Regiment, visited Toronto in order to present the 3rd battalion its second colours.[61]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Canadian Monarchy > Royal visits to Canada > Royal visits from 1786 to 1951". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
  2. ↑ Office of the Premier of Alberta. "Premier Ralph Klein > Royal Visit > The Visit > Theme". Queen's Printer for Alberta. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
  3. ↑ Kennedy, Mark (28 September 2010), "A constitutional crisis likely looms for Canada's next governor general", Vancouver Sun, retrieved 30 September 2010
  4. ↑ Coates, Colin MacMillan (2006). Majesty in Canada: essays on the role of royalty. Toronto: Dundurn Press Ltd. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-55002-586-6.
  5. ↑ Pigott, Peter (2005). Royal Transport: An Inside Look at the History of Royal Travel. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-55002-572-9.
  6. ↑ Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Gary (1989). Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 5. ISBN 1-55002-065-X.
  7. ↑ Pigott 2005, p. 21
  8. ↑ Edward, Prince of Wales (1919), "Diary", in Pigott, Peter, Royal Transport: An Inside Look at the History of Royal Travel, Toronto: Dundurn Press (published 2005), p. 33, ISBN 978-1-55002-572-9, retrieved 13 December 2009
  9. 1 2 3 Paperny, Anna Mehler (26 June 2011). "Behind the royal tour, a businesslike Usher of the Black Rod". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Treble, Patricia (8 July 2010). "The Queen's man on the ground". Maclean's. Toronto: Rogers Communications (July 2010). ISSN 0024-9262. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Department of Canadian Heritage. "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The Canadian Monarchy > The Royal Presence in Canada > A Historical Overview". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  12. ↑ Campbell, Duncan (1875). History of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown: Bremner Brothers. pp. 128–130. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  13. ↑ Hubbard, R.H. (1977). Rideau Hall. Montreal and London: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-7735-0310-6.
  14. ↑ Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership. "Things to Do > Natural Wonders > Did You Know?". Queen's Printer for Ontario. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  15. ↑ Toffoli, Gary (10 August 1998). "CBC's Attack on Canadian Heritage". Monarchy Canada. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  16. ↑ Morden, James Cochenaur (1932). Historic Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls: Lindsay Press. p. 87.
  17. 1 2 Churcher, Colin. "Colin Churcher's Railway Pages > Royal Trains and Royal Occasions". Colin Churcher. Archived from the original on 17 February 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  18. ↑ "History > History of Queen's Plate". Woodbine Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  19. 1 2 Jackson, Michael D. (1990). "Royal Visits". In Cottrell, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Centre. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Archer, John H. (1996). "Regina: A Royal City". Monarchy Canada Magazine. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. Spring 1996. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  21. ↑ Hubbard 1977, pp. 55, 59
  22. ↑ Hubbard 1977, pp. 101–106
  23. ↑ Nicolson, Harold (1959). "Ophir itinerary". King George V: His Life and Reign. NY: Doubleday. p. 68.
  24. ↑ "Departments > City Clerk's Office > City Archives > Image Galleries > A View From Above > Downtown III: Spadina Crescent to the Bessborough > Note 45". City of Saskatoon. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  25. 1 2 Davis, Chuck. "History of Metropolitan Vancouver > 1919". Chuck Davis. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  26. ↑ Whalen, James (1998). "Royalty on the Nipigon". The Archivist. Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada (117). Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  27. 1 2 British Columbia Archives. "The Legacy". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  28. ↑ Hubbard 1977, p. 157
  29. ↑ Hubbard 1977, p. 162
  30. ↑ Freeman-Thomas, Freeman (29 October 1926), Hubbard, R.H., ed., "Rideau Hall", 1977, Montreal and London: McGill-Queen's University Press, ISBN 978-0-7735-0310-6
  31. ↑ Filey, Mike (5 August 2007). "Union Station turns 80". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  32. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19380719&id=1JEjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dqgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6052,2123265
  33. ↑ "CBC: Royal Visits to Canada". Canada: CBC. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  34. ↑ Jackson, Michael D. (2013), The Crown and Canadian Federalism, Dundurn Press, ISBN 9781459709898, retrieved 4 March 2015
  35. 1 2 British Columbia Archives. "Chronology of Principal Royal Visits to British Columbia". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  36. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (2009). "Exhibits and Education Tools > Royal Visits to New Brunswick > The Golden Jubilee: A New Brunswick Tribute > 1951 > Welcome to New Brunswick > November 6, 1951". Queen's Printer for New Brunswick. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
  37. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick 2009, Visiting Provincial Landmarks
  38. 1 2 Provincial Archives of New Brunswick 2009, Saint John
  39. ↑ Bousfield 2002, p. 87
  40. ↑ Bousfield 2002, pp. 11–16
  41. ↑ Trepanier 1989, p. 30
  42. ↑ Callwood, June (December 1957). "June Callwood's Story of the Queen's Visit". Maclean's. Toronto: Maclean-Hunter. 70: 16. ISSN 0024-9262.
  43. ↑ Callwood, June; Maclean's Magazine: June Callwood's Story of the Queen's Visit; Vol. 70; December 1957; p. 16
  44. ↑ Buckner, Phillip (2005), "The Last Great Royal Tour: Queen Elizabeth's 1959 Tour to Canada", in Buckner, Phillip, Canada and the End of Empire, Vancouver: UBC Press, p. 66, ISBN 0-7748-0915-9, retrieved 24 October 2009
  45. 1 2 3 Buckner 2005, p. 85
  46. ↑ Buckner 2005, p. 75
  47. ↑ Buckner 2005, pp. 78–79
  48. ↑ "Department of Canadian Heritage: Test your royal skills". Pch.gc.ca. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  49. ↑ Buckner 2005, p. 68
  50. ↑ Buckner 2005, p. 69
  51. ↑ Buckner 2005, p. 76
  52. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick 2009, Introduction
  53. ↑ Buckner 2005, pp. 85–86
  54. ↑ Buckner, Phillip (2005). "The Last Great Royal Tour: Queen Elizabeth's 1959 Tour to Canada". In Buckner, Phillip. Canada and the End of Empire. Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-7748-0915-3. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  55. ↑ Buckner, 2005 & 87
  56. ↑ Government of Alberta. "Premier Ralph Klein > Royal Visit > Past Visits". Alberta Queen's Printer. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  57. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick 2009, Woolastook and King's Landing
  58. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick 2009, First Stop – Fredericton
  59. 1 2 Provincial Archives of New Brunswick 2009, Fredericton
  60. ↑ British Columbia Archives: Chronology of Principal Royal Visits to British Columbia Archived 28 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  61. 1 2 3 Davison, Janet (26 April 2013). "Prince Philip's love affair with Canada". CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  62. 1 2 Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. "History > Government House > The Royal Bedroom". Queen's Printer for Manitoba. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 Royal Visits to Canada, CBC, retrieved 10 July 2009
  64. ↑ "On This Day > June 24, 1983 > Charles and Diana charm Newfoundlanders". CBC. 23 June 1983. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  65. ↑ "Chronology of Principal Royal Visits to British Columbia". Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  66. ↑ Niagara Parks. "Niagara Falls & Great Gorge > More Niagara Falls and Great Gorge > Falls Facts > Famous Visitors". Queen's Printer for Ontario. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  67. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactive/royalvisits/52.html
  68. ↑ Government of Alberta. "Alberta Centennial Home > Official Events > Celebrate Alberta Kick-Off Party". Alberta Queen's Printer. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  69. ↑ Government of Alberta. "Education Home > Centennial Projects > Alberta students encouraged to join the festivities the Royal Visit 2005". Alberta Queen's Printer. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  70. ↑ "Royal couple touches down in Saskatchewan". CTV. 18 May 2005. Archived from the original on 1 October 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  71. ↑ "The Royal Visit of 2010". CBC. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  72. ↑ "Prince Charles, Camilla to visit for Canada 150 celebration". Toronto Star. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  73. ↑ Yelaja, Prithi (21 June 2011). "William and Kate's royal tour itinerary released". CBC. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  74. ↑ http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/4168372-princess-anne-s-royal-visit-commemorated-in-new-barrie-park/
  75. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/princess-anne-s-ottawa-tour-will-honour-everyday-heroes-1.2826736
  76. ↑ "HRH The Earl of Wessex unveils provincial plaque celebrating the Toronto-Dominion Centre". Ontario Heritage Trust. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
  77. ↑ "Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex to Visit the Province" (Press release). Queen's Printer for Prince Edward Island. 4 May 2000. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  78. ↑ Burke, Scott; Aimers, John (2001). "Wessexs' Tour a Triumph". Canadian Monarchist News. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. Archived from the original on 8 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  79. ↑ Stepaniuk, Violette (2 July 2009). New museum in Calgary tells story of Canada’s Air Force. Skytech Dynamics Corporation. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  80. ↑ Roberts, Stephen (2003). "HRH Duke of York visits the Monarchist League" (PDF). Canadian Monarchist News. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. 7 (4): 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2009.

Further reading

  • Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Garry (1989). Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002-065-X.
  • Arthur Bousfield; Garry Toffoli (1 November 2010). Royal Tours 1786–2010: Home to Canada. Dundurn Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-55488-800-9.
  • Cartwright, Thelma; Clay, John; Hall, Edna (1977). The Silver Jubilee: Royal Visit to Canada. Ottawa: Deneau & Greenburg. ISBN 0-88879-002-3.
  • Fleming, Rae (2002). The Royal Tour of Canada: The 1939 Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Lynx Images. ISBN 1-894073-37-1.
  • Lanctot, Gustave (1964). The Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America 1939. Toronto: E.P. Taylor Foundation.
  • MacDonnell, Tom (1989). Daylight Upon Magic: The Royal Tour of Canada, 1939. Toronto: Macmillan. ISBN 0-7715-9229-9.
  • Radforth, Ian (2005). Royal Spectacle: The 1860 Visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada and the United States. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-8699-3.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.