King Charles and Queen Camilla reportedly visited Canada House on Tuesday to commemorate 100 years since its opening in June 1925, as per local media reports.
This visit occurred just days before the royal couple’s scheduled trip to Canada later this month.
Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles will attend the state opening of parliament in Ottawa, a clear demonstration of support for the former British colony, of which he remains the head of state.
The palace confirmed that the royal couple’s visit to Canada will take place from May 26 to May 27.
The monarch’s presence follows his recent acknowledgment of his role as King of Canada, a nation that U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly expressed intentions to acquire.
The visit to Canada will mark Charles’s second overseas journey this year, after his trip to Italy where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis before the pontiff’s passing.
Prior to their visit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized King Charles’s invitation extended to Donald Trump for a second state visit to the United Kingdom.
He asserted that the invitation undermined his government’s efforts to present a unified stance against the US president’s discussions of annexing Canada.
Since assuming office in January, Trump has repeatedly stated his desire for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state, a suggestion that has provoked anger among Canadians and forced Britain to navigate a delicate diplomatic path between the two nations.
In an interview with Sky News, Carney was questioned about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s move in February to use his Oval Office visit to hand Trump an unprecedented second state visit invitation to London from the monarch.
“I think, to be frank, they (Canadians) weren’t impressed by that gesture… given the circumstance. It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty,” he stated.
He further elaborated, “All issues around Canada’s sovereignty have been accentuated by the president. So no, it’s not coincidental, but it is also a reaffirming moment for Canadians.”
