{"id":10478,"date":"2014-05-16T02:59:41","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T18:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=10478"},"modified":"2014-05-15T23:01:47","modified_gmt":"2014-05-15T15:01:47","slug":"prince-charles-camilla-to-embark-on-royal-tour-that-honours-canadas-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/05\/16\/prince-charles-camilla-to-embark-on-royal-tour-that-honours-canadas-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Prince Charles, Camilla to embark on royal tour that honours Canada\u2019s past"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by Ibagli \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HALIFAX\u2014Prince Charles and his wife Camilla may not attract the paparazzi frenzy that lately accompanies Prince William, Kate and baby George, but royal observers say the royal couple\u2019s latest visit to Canada is no less significant.<\/span><\/p>\n

The four-day trip begins Sunday in Halifax and includes stops in Pictou, N.S., the P.E.I. communities of Charlottetown, Bonshaw and Cornwall, as well as Winnipeg.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though it will be the couple\u2019s second Canadian tour since 2012, it will be the Duchess of Cornwall\u2019s first time in the three provinces. It\u2019s been 18 years since Charles was in Manitoba, while the two Maritime provinces have been waiting since 1983 for another visit from the Prince of Wales.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. are very anxious to see their future king,\u201d says Kevin MacLeod, tour co-ordinator and Canadian secretary to the Queen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a great deal of excitement and expectation about this royal tour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The theme for the tour is commemorating Canada\u2019s past and looking ahead to the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Canada marks a series of significant anniversaries over the next five years, including the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. There\u2019s also the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag and the 200th birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald, the country\u2019s first prime minister, to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n

While in Halifax, Charles will bring a tradition started 75 years ago by his grandfather King George VI full circle when he plants an English oak tree in the city\u2019s Public Gardens. Later at historic Pier 21 and the Canadian Museum of Immigration, the couple will meet war brides and veterans of the Second World War.<\/span><\/p>\n

The remainder of the tour will include speeches, 21-gun salutes, walkabouts, and meetings with various community groups and organizations that represent the couple\u2019s interests, including literacy, education, sustainability and the arts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA royal tour is a really wonderful opportunity to shine a light on initiatives and people who otherwise wouldn\u2019t have a light shone on them,\u201d says MacLeod, who\u2019s worked on some 20 royal tours since 1987. \u201cThat\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Charles will also have the opportunity to feed a polar bear at a conservation facility in Winnipeg. Otherwise, much of the tour harkens back to tradition and tours of the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when it comes to connecting with a younger generation, don\u2019t count the heir to the throne out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, says Charles can be just as relevant to Canadian youth as his son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough Charles is older and from a different generation than a rock star like William and Kate, he still brings a lot of things to the table that resonate with young Canadians,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook at what he stands for, what he\u2019s interested in. Things like the environment, bridging the gap between different religions, these are things that Canadians\u2014even young Canadians\u2014really gravitate toward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple will also attend a Celtic heritage festival in Pictou during their visit and Charles will be honoured in Charlottetown with an award recognizing his contributions to Canada. While in the P.E.I. capital, Charles and Camilla will tour the city\u2019s arts centre guided by an actress playing Anne of Green Gables before flying to Winnipeg, where they will learn about another famous cultural export: Winnie the Pooh.<\/span><\/p>\n

In all, Charles will deliver four speeches before the end of the trip on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Royal tours were once longer and took place every six or seven years, but Finch says shorter, more frequent visits appear to be the new norm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really reinforcing that connection between Canada and the monarchy,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s always reassuring.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HALIFAX\u2014Prince Charles and his wife Camilla may not attract the paparazzi frenzy that lately accompanies Prince William, Kate and baby …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":10479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news-ca","mauthors-melanie-patten","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}