Gov. Gen. David Johnston confirmed the Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, will be undertaking a royal tour in May 2014, which will include stops in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
This will be the Prince of Wale’s 17th visit to Canada, two years after his last royal tour of the country, when the royal couple travelled to New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan on a four-day tour. It will be the third visit for the duchess. The couple came to Canada in 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
“I am pleased that Their Royal Highnesses will be joining us in a few months-time, as Canada enters a five-year period of significant national celebrations,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a news release.
The main purpose of the trip will be to mark the 1864 conferences in Charlottetown and Quebec City, which led Canada to confederation, said CTV’s royal commentator Richard Berthelsen.
“This will be a major celebration on Prince Edward Island, so we’ll see P.E.I. figuring prominently in the trip,” Berthelseen said.
The Prince of Wales will also travel to Winnipeg, where he has several regiments, including The Royal Winnipeg rifles and the Lord Strathcona’s Horse.
Berthelsen said Canada will also be marking the outbreak of the First World War, “so we’ll see Halifax figuring in the visit because of course many of the Canadian troops embarked from Halifax.”
The program will be co-ordinated by the Canadian Secretary to the Queen. A detailed schedule will be released at a later date.
