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King Charles and Queen Camilla will touch down in Ottawa today to kick off an historic royal tour. The royals are pictured leaving Canada House in London on May 20.Arthur Edwards/The Associated Press
05/26/25 11:46
The atmosphere in Ottawa is electric
– Sarah Espedido and Ijeoma Ukazu
On a crisp, sunny day at the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market, some enthusiastic Canadians have gathered in anticipation of the King’s visit to Ottawa. The atmosphere is electric, with an air of excitement and reverence.
Lansdowne Farmers’ Market, Ottawa, May 26 2025Sarah Espedido/The Globe and Mail
05/26/25 11:16
MPs gather in the House of Commons to vote for next Speaker
– The Canadian Press
MPs cast their ballots for a new Speaker in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The newly elected MPs gathered in the House of Commons on Monday to decide who will become the next Speaker of the House of Commons.
Two candidates have already withdrawn from the running. Conservative MPs Chris d’Entremont — a former deputy Speaker — and John Nater had put their names forward but withdrew at the last minute.
Liberal MP Greg Fergus, the last Speaker, is seeking to win the role back — although critics accused him in the last Parliament of being overly partisan.
Former deputy government House leader and Liberal MP Sherry Romanado is vying for the role, as are several other Liberal MPs.
Liberals Sean Casey, Rob Oliphant, Francis Scarpaleggia and Alexandra Mendès all have put their names forward.
The candidates for Speaker each have been allotted five minutes to address the House before members vote by preferential secret ballot.
The vote is being presided over by Louis Plamondon, currently the longest-serving MP.
05/26/25 11:06
Carney welcomes King and Queen to Canada
– The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney has issued a statement welcoming the King and Queen to Canada.
“The Royal Visit is a reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown – one forged over generations, shaped by shared histories and grounded in common values. A bond that, over time, has evolved, just as Canada has, to reflect the strength, diversity and confidence of our people,” Carney said in the statement.
The prime minister said that tomorrow’s Throne Speech will describe the government’s plan “to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build the strongest economy in the G7, to bring down the cost of living, and to keep communities safe.”
05/26/25 11:01
First Nations leaders to urge King Charles to protect treaty rights
– Willow Fiddler
First Nations leaders say they will work to share their concerns with King Charles III over efforts by Ottawa and provincial governments to fast-track major resource projects and legislation without consultations and consent, calling them an attack on their treaty rights and nations.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Chief Greg Sarazin will be part of a delegation of Indigenous leaders welcoming the King upon his arrival in Ottawa on Monday.
The meeting will come after weeks of concern among First Nations over proposed legislation in British Columbia and Ontario. The bills are intended to expedite energy and infrastructure projects as a way of offsetting damage from U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, but the nations say the moves may trample their inherent and treaty rights over their lands. Prime Minister Mark Carney has likewise promised to fast-track approvals of resource projects.
Indigenous nations are also concerned about an Alberta bill that would make it easier for citizen groups to initiate provincial referendums, including possible votes on separation from Canada. Some First Nations in the province say this would violate treaties signed with the Crown.
Read the full story here.
05/26/25 10:47
The role of Governor-General Mary Simon during this historic trip
– John Fraser
Governor-General Mary Simon looks on during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on May 13, 2025.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
It will also be interesting to note how much of a spotlight will be shone on Canada’s Governor-General, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, during the historic trip by King Charles III.
The tradition in all the realms such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which govern themselves according to the Westminster tradition of an elected parliament with a symbolic head of state, sees the governor-general simply taking a back seat whenever the reigning sovereign is in the country.
This time around it looks as if Ms. Simon is being given a strong supporting role. She will be seen in close proximity to the King and Queen Camilla at most of the events being scheduled today and tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions have not only upended much of the United States, they have also brought Canadian sovereignty into focus, and it looks as if the new government is hoping to deploy traditional ceremonial positions to buttress the country’s distinctiveness.
05/26/25 10:32
Looking back at the King’s past visits to Canada
– Paul Waldie
The Royal Family’s Instagram account has been highlighting the King’s trip to Canada by looking back at his previous visits – 19 in total.
One post includes a series of shots of a young Prince Charles meeting Canadians on Parliament Hill in 1975, scuba diving at Resolute Bay in Nunavut that year and opening the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton.
Another post concentrates on his first visit in 1970 with a collection of black-and-white photos. Among them are shots of the 21-year-old Prince of Wales touring the House of Commons and standing alongside Governor-General Roland Michener.
Prince Charles joined his mother, Queen Ellizabeth II, on that trip, and another shot shows the Queen kicking off the 1970 Commonwealth Games Baton Relay by handing the baton to former track star Abigail “Abby” Hoffman. The Games were held in Edinburgh that year, but the relay began in Yellowknife.
The posts prompted a comment from the account of Prince Emmanuel of Belgium, who is third in line to the Belgian throne: “May God bless Europe and our great friends in Canada.”
Here’s a photo gallery looking back at King Charles’s royal visits to Canada.
05/26/25 10:19
The main purpose of King Charles’s visit to Canada
– John Fraser
A small tote bag with a portrait of King Charles III is pictured through a glass window of a local flag shop in Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood on Sunday.Spencer Colby/The Globe and Mail
Hi. My name is John Fraser. I study the role of the Crown in Canada and today I will be looking for both historical resonances of its role in the country as well as any innovations our government is planning on asking King Charles III to do.
The arrival of the King and Queen Camilla for his first visit as reigning sovereign may be short (less than 24 hours), but it may also be the most consequential visit by royalty to Canada since his grandfather, King George VI, came in 1939 – the first reigning sovereign to do so. The reason is simple: Donald Trump.
The U.S. President has challenged Canadian sovereignty and set off a combustible mix of both anger and positive national feeling very few Canadians living today have ever experienced to such a degree.
Arts groups such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company have started playing the national anthem prior to performances. Talk of Quebec separatism has taken a back seat to the challenges from south of the border. And the new Prime Minister has formally announced that the whole postwar order of trade and allied defence co-operation is “over.” Canada has to find new ways and new partners.
Into this volatile situation the King of Canada is arriving. He has to remain above politics, but on Tuesday he is expected not only to outline the government’s legislative program – that’s what a Speech from the Throne is all about – but reinforce Canadian national pride as well.
How the government handles this historic trip and how the King himself handles it will be closely watched around the world – probably even in the newly gold-encrusted Oval Office of the White House.
05/26/25 10:08
In Britain, the King’s visit to Canada is getting a lot of attention
– Paul Waldie
The royal trip is having to battle for attention in the U.K. with the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling, where participants chase a three-kilogram wheel of Double Gloucester down a hill.Kin Cheung/The Associated Press
Hi there. I’m The Globe and Mail’s Europe correspondent based in London.
It’s a holiday in Britain, but the King’s visit to Canada is still getting a lot of attention. Yesterday an Italian journalist here asked me if I knew the time of the Throne Speech on Tuesday because she wants to tune in (4 p.m. in the U.K.).
Much of the media coverage has highlighted the importance of the King’s trip and how it’s designed to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The King’s Canada visit should teach Trump a lesson,” read a headline on an editorial in The Daily Telegraph. “While the monarch is usually well advised to steer away from overt political controversy, when it comes to underlining his commitment to a country of which he is head of state there can be no compunction,” the paper said.
“King travels to support Canada as it fends off Trump,” said the BBC.
The royal trip is having to battle for attention with the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling, where participants chase a three-kilogram wheel of Double Gloucester down Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester. The BBC is running live coverage of the cheese races, which have been taking place for 600 years or so.
05/26/25 10:00
King Charles‘s schedule in Ottawa on Monday
– Globe Staff
Ottawa Police Service (OPS) cruisers are seen near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Sunday.Spencer Colby/The Globe and Mail
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will arrive in Ottawa around 1 p.m. Monday and will be welcomed by Governor-General Mary Simon, Prime Minister Mark Carney, Indigenous leaders and Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario Edith Dumont. An arrival guard from the Royal Canadian Dragoons, a senior regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, will also be present.
Following their arrival, the royals will travel to Lansdowne Park to meet with community members and the public.
Later, they will make their way to Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor-General and of the King and Queen while in Canada.
They will participate in a ceremonial tree planting, then hold audiences with Ms. Simon and Mr. Carney at Rideau Hall.
05/26/25 10:00
Pageantry and spectacle to mark King Charles’s visit to Ottawa
– Globe Staff
People walk past a stall at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market at Lansdowne Park on Sunday. King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to visit the farmers’ market as part of their tour.Spencer Colby/The Globe and Mail
King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s trip to Canada on Monday kicks off a highly symbolic two-day visit demonstrating support for Canada’s identity and independence.
The royal visit will feature pomp and pageantry, including the planting of a ceremonial tree at Rideau Hall, full military honours with a 21-gun salute and an RCMP Musical Ride horse-drawn landau ride past Parliament Hill.
But there is also an underlying purpose to the King’s visit. The monarch will not only read the Throne Speech to open the 45th session of Parliament on Tuesday, but also, it is hoped, reinforce the idea that Canada has no interest in changing its status as a sovereign country and Commonwealth member to become the 51st U.S. state – as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded.
It is the first time a British monarch has carried out the duty since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, did so 68 years ago. It is also the King’s first visit to Canada as monarch, though it marks his 20th trip here.
The 76-year-old King is still undergoing cancer treatment, which has limited his workload, so the two-day trip demonstrates his commitment to Canada, one of 15 countries of which he is monarch.
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