Canadian city catches royal fever as Prince William begins visit
VICTORIA: Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in British Columbia on Saturday for an eight-day trip during which they will view spectacular nature sites and meet with refugees and indigenous Americans.
William, holding his son George by the hand, and Kate, with daughter Charlotte in her arms, stepped off their plane at around 4:00 pm (2300 GMT). George, 3, more interested in a helicopter hovering overhead than by protocol, and his year-old sister, wearing a smocked dress for her first foreign trip, climbed aboard a car with their parents headed for a gorgeous Victorian home where they are staying for the visit.
The royal family was received an hour later at a ceremony with military honors and a 21-gun salute under blue skies on the lawn in front of the westernmost Canadian province’s legislature on Vancouver Island. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked that this visit would be quite different for the royals, now that they are parents of two young children, compared to their last trip to Canada five years ago. “As any parent who has traveled with children knows, it’s a whole different experience when you bring your family with you,” said Trudeau, who has three young children of his own and joined many official visits when his father, Pierre Trudeau, was prime minister.
“As Canada approaches its 150th anniversary next year, we’re excited to meet and interact with the young people who will lead this country into its next few decades,” William said, speaking to an enthusiastic crowd.
“And in the year of the queen’s 90th birthday, I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to thank the people of Canada for the warmth and generosity they’ve extended to my grandmother throughout her reign.” After a children’s chorus sang the Canadian national anthem, William and Kate exchanged greetings with locals.
The duchess of Cambridge, sporting a blue dress and matching hat, her hair gathered in a bun, wore a brooch in the shape of a maple leaf, Canada’s national symbol.
This time, the prince and his wife will take in the natural beauty of Canada’s Pacific coast, heading as far north as the rugged Yukon territory, and will also meet with indigenous people.