Canada's relationship with Queen Elizabeth II spans six decades, to when a then young Princess Elizabeth made her first trans-Atlantic trip to the country in 1951 on behalf of her ailing father.
Most Canadians only know Queen Elizabeth as their head of state, and as she prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday on Thursday, the country's love for the Queen remains strong.
"She's on our money, she's on our postage stamps, she's on our coinage," Richard Berthelsen, a former royal tour organizer and Rideau Hall royal adviser, told CTVNews.ca. "She's been this constant force. Something that's in the background, but it's a long period of time."
While the Queen holds a largely ceremonial role in Canada, she's been present during a number of significant moments in the country’s history, making 22 visits to Canada during her 63-year reign.
A recent survey pegged Canadians' support for the Queen at 64 per cent, and royal commentator Victoria Arbiter notes that Canadians fondness for the Queen is very much reciprocated.
"Canada has a particularly special relationship with the Queen because it's the first place she went to represent her father in 1951," Arbiter said.
During that visit when she was Princess Elizabeth, and during a subsequent trip in 1959 after she was crowned Queen, she travelled through Canada on train, giving her an intimate look at the country, and providing Canadians a more personal encounter with the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth walks around the central theme of the Ottawa memorial to Canadian memorial to members of the Royal Canadian Air Force after participating an unveiling ceremony July 1, 1959. (AP PHOTO)
About a decade earlier, her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had a similar experience during a 1939 Royal Visit across Canada.
"Queen Elizabeth brought her children up on those stories of getting up in the middle of the night, putting on a tiara, putting on a fur coat and waving to some small gathering of people who had been waiting all night to see her," Berthelsen said. "Those kinds of stories really live large in the Royal Family's legend."
Queen Elizabeth, wearing crown, with Canada's Prime Minister Mackenzie King, in the Ottawa Parliament, on May 19, 1939. (AP Photo)
Memorable moments in Canada
Berthelsen said her several visits to the country have allowed Canadians to build cherished memories of the Queen.
A 2002 visit saw the Queen drop a ceremonial puck during a Vancouver Canucks game alongside Wayne Gretzky.
"That's a melding of so many Canadian iconic figures," Berthelsen said. "You couldn't get much more Canadian than that."
Queen Elizabeth II drops the puck during the ceremonial face-off in Vancouver, B.C. on Sunday, October 6, 2002. (CP PHOTO/Chuck Stoody)
Berthelsen said a more "emotional" royal visit came in 1990, days after the Meech Lake Accord was defeated.
The failure of the proposed constitutional reforms ultimately led to a referendum in 1992.
During the Queen's speech to Parliament, Berthelsen said she "addressed the elephant in the room.
"She said, 'I know things are at a bit of a difficult time for Canada, but I am not a fair-weather friend of this country. I'm not just here in the good times, I'm here in all times.'"
Berthelsen also noted that, during her1964 visit to Quebec City, amidst a rising separatist movement, the Queen gave a "powerful" speech on the importance of the use of French in the Quebec National Assembly.
"There are all of these kinds of things that, over time, they leave an impression with people of different generations," Berthelsen said.
At 90, the Queen 'keeps on going'
Arbiter said at this point in her reign, Canadians are impressed with the Queen's "durability and devotion."
"She just keeps on trucking no matter what," she said. ""The royal calendar is regimented and it's inflexible. And here we are with her turning 90 years old, and she just keeps on going."
One of the most memorable moments Arbiter has of the Queen is her appearance during the 2012 Summer Games opening ceremony in London alongside Daniel Craig playing James Bond.
The Queen's cameo surprised delighted viewers and was said to be a moment that changed U.K. television.
"I think we really got a sense of her great sense of humour and her love of the theatre," she said. "The fact that she took part in that, in such a tongue-in-cheek way, was great."
Queen Elizabeth watches the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
And even when the time comes that Queen Elizabeth will no longer be Queen, neither Arbiter nor Berthelsen believe interest in the royals will wane.
"The Royal Family constantly re-invents itself," Berthelsen said. "There are new royal children, there are marriages…there's always something new coming along that captures the public's imaginations."
