Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, are coming to Canada to celebrate the country’s 150th birthday.
The pair has accepted an invitation for a royal visit from June 29 to July 1, 2017 to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, visiting Ottawa, Nunavut, and elsewhere in Ontario.
More details of their visit are still to come and will be published at a later date by the Canadian Heritage department.
Governor General David Johnston said in a statement he is pleased Charles and Camilla have accepted the government of Canada’s invitation.
“Sharon and I will be delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to Canada as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation,” Johnston said in a statement.
“…We are pleased they are joining in the sesquicentennial festivities, and look forward to Canadians having the opportunity to showcase the very best that our country has to offer.”
This will be the 18th visit to Canada for The Prince of Wales and the fourth visit for The Duchess of Cornwall. The couple most recently visited Canada in May, 2014.
The Prince of Wales will be representing Queen Elizabeth II during the visit. Royal commentator Richard Berthelsen says this is the latest indication that the Queen, now 90 years old, is delegating more duties to the Prince and Duchess in preparation for their succession to the throne.
“It’s only natural that the Prince of Wales would take the lead role in celebrating this country’s 150th anniversary on the July 1st weekend,” Berthelsen said. “As the future king of this country and other realms within the Commonwealth, it’s appropriate that he would be here.”
Berthelsen also said the royals’ trip to Nunavut will be interesting because Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have never travelled there during their previous visits. The future king did, however, visit the territory before it was called Nunavut in the 1970s.
“The Prince of Wales has been everywhere [in Canada] except Nunavut,” Berthelsen said. “Where better to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday than the ‘True North’?”
