THE KING'S SPEECH: Tradition, ceremony made for memorable royal visit
King Charles, Queen Camilla wrap whirlwind Ottawa trip with throne speech, wreath-laying at war memorial
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OTTAWA — It was a morning of pomp, spectacle and a whole lot of Canadian pride.
Tens of thousands of flag-waving spectators began lining Wellington St. early Tuesday, hoping to catch a glimpse of King Charles under the blazing spring sunshine.
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This marks the 20th time Charles has visited Canada and his first since becoming King two years ago.
The King and Queen Camilla wrapped their whirlwind visit to the nation’s capital on Tuesday — beginning with a procession from the Bank of Canada east to the Senate building and past Parliament Hill, while waving to onlookers from an open-air, box-driven Landau carriage.
The Landau, containing the King and Queen plus Governor General Mary Simon and husband Whit Fraser, was escorted by 28 horses from the RCMP Musical Ride.
Confetti and flags flew as the Landau pulled up to the Senate building, greeted by Prime Minister Mark Carney and an 100-person honour guard courtesy of the Royal Canadian Regiment — as well as a 21-gun salute from a nearby artillery battery.
His Majesty inspected the guard before entering the Senate to deliver the speech, followed by the prime minister, governor general and Usher of the Black Rod Greg Peters.
The speech was delivered in the Senate as reigning monarchs — including the governor general — are not permitted in the House of Commons.
That tradition stretches to 1642, when King Charles I brought troops into the English House of Commons in an unsuccessful attempt to place several MPs under arrest. That incident lead to the English Civil War, which saw Charles I flee to Scotland. He was eventually turned over to Parliament and in 1649 was indicted for treason and beheaded.
In his speech Tuesday, the King drew parallels with Queen Elizabeth II’s presentation of the throne speech in 1957 and 1977.
“When my dear late mother addressed your predecessors seven decades ago, she said that in that age and against the backdrop of international affairs, no nation could live unto itself,” he said.
“It is a source of great pride that, in the following decades, Canada has continued to set an example to the world in her conduct and values as a force for good.”
As modern-day Canada faces monumental changes at home and abroad, the King urged Canada to remain confident and stick to its values.
“Canada is ready to build a coalition of nations that share these values — nations that believe in international co-operation and the free exchange of goods, services, and ideas,” he said in French.
“In this new world, which is evolving at a frantic pace, Canada will chart the path forward. That will be demonstrated as early as June, when Canada chairs the
G7 summit.”
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Following the speech, the King, Queen, prime minister and governor general walked along Elgin St. to the National War Memorial, where the royal couple placed a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier.
After a bugler played The Last Post followed by The Rouse, the RCAF band played O Canada as a flight of four CF-18s roared overhead.
The pair last laid a wreath at the tomb during their visit in 2022.
As the King and Queen prepared to depart, spectators feted the couple with shouts of, “God save the King,” and, “hip, hip, hooray,” as the motorcade left downtown, headed to the airport for their return to the U.K.
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