King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived in Canada at the start of a two-day visit widely seen as bolstering the country’s sovereignty amid threats by President Trump to turn the United States’ northern neighbor into the 51st state.
Carney, who was elected on an anti-Trump platform in April, asked the king to visit shortly after he became leader of the Liberal political party.
At the time, Trump had imposed tariffs on Canada and was taunting to annex the country.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy and the king is the country’s head of state.
Although read by Charles, it will be written by Carney’s office and is expected to robustly defend Canada’s sovereignty — much as the prime minister did on the campaign trail.
The two-day visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla is widely regarded as strengthening Canada’s sovereignty in the face of President Trump’s threats to make the northern neighbor of the United States the 51st state.
The country’s first indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, who serves as the king’s representative in Canada, and Mark Carney, Canada’s new prime minister, were among the dignitaries who greeted the King at the airport in Ottawa, the nation’s capital.
Not long after he was elected leader of the Liberal party in April, Carney, who ran on an anti-Trump platform, invited the king to come. Trump was threatening to annex Canada at the time and had already placed tariffs on the nation.
Carney said in a statement that the king’s visit was a historic honor that reflected the gravity of the moment.
“It speaks to the vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our unique identity, to our enduring tradition and friendship, and to the historic ties that crises only fortify,” Carney stated.
During the visit, Carney is scheduled to meet with the king.
For the first time since Queen Elizabeth spoke to the senate in 1977, King Charles will read a speech from the throne to begin a new session of Canada’s parliament on Tuesday.
It will be a largely ceremonial event, but it underlines a distinct difference in how the democracies of the U. S. . and Canada are not the same. The king is Canada’s head of state, and the nation is a constitutional monarchy.
The future plans of the Canadian government are outlined in the speech from the throne. Carney’s office will write it, even though Charles will read it. It is anticipated to vehemently defend Canada’s sovereignty, just as the prime minister did during the campaign.
