King Charles travels to Canada to express solidarity for the country that Trump is targeting

On Monday, King Charles takes a plane to Canada for a highly symbolic visit that demonstrates support for the country that acknowledges him as its king but is vying to become the 51st U.S. state, a goal cherished by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Charles will open parliament in Ottawa on Tuesday after Prime Minister Mark Carney invited him to do so. This will be the first time a British monarch has performed the role since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, did so 68 years ago.

The two-day visit demonstrates the 76-year-old king’s dedication to Canada, one of the 15 nations where he is monarch, since his workload has been restricted due to cancer treatment.

Trump has stated time and time again that he wants to conquer Canada. Carney has vehemently opposed this idea, and his election victory last month was partially based on it.

“The prime minister has made it clear that Canada is not for sale now, is not for sale ever,” Ralph Goodale, Canada’s ambassador to the UK, told reporters during Charles’s visit to Canada’s high commission last week.

“The king, as head of state, will reinforce the power and the strength of that message.”

Wearing Canadian medals, referring to himself as the king of Canada, and characterizing its flag as “a symbol that never fails to elicit a sense of pride and admiration” are just a few of the subliminal indications of Charles’ support for Canada in recent months.

He must, however, strike a delicate balance because British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is trying to maintain Trump’s support about Ukraine and trade relations.

During his February visit to the White House, Starmer made a big show of accepting Charles’ invitation for Trump, whose mother was born in Britain and who has frequently complimented the British royal family, to make a historic second state visit.

That had annoyed Canadians, according to Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England.

A “MOMENTOUS OCCASION”

Charles will be visiting the former British colony for the first time since ascending to the throne in September 2022, accompanied by his spouse, Queen Camilla.

According to Buckingham Palace, the royal couple will meet artists and sellers at a sizable park in Ottawa on Monday. Before planting a tree in a different area of the city, the monarch will take part in a ceremonial puck drop to start a street hockey demonstration.

It will only be the third time a sovereign has opened a new session of parliament with a “Speech from the Throne” in the Canadian Senate.

To make a 25-minute address prepared by Carney’s government, Charles and Camilla will go in a ceremonial horse-drawn carriage with a 28-horse escort to the Senate.

Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, described it as a “momentous occasion – one that brings Canadians together in celebration of our rich history, our democracy, and the institutions that serve us all.”