Royals won’t be easy to spot in Kelowna
UBCO campus tour sole public event during William and Kate’s Sept. 27 visit, and parking could be a problem
Crowd projections are anybody’s guess at this point, but one thing is already certain regarding an upcoming royal visit to UBC Okanagan.
It’ll probably be best for anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of Prince William and his wife, Kate, to take a bus to the campus.
“We are expecting many members of the public to come to the campus on the day of the royal visit, and we are making provision to accommodate as many people as we can,” UBC Okanagan spokesman Matthew Grant said Monday.
But public parking is limited at the campus on a normal day. And Sept. 27, as Grant notes, “is not going to be an ordinary day at UBC Okanagan.”
William and Kate will arrive at UBCO in the morning, after flying from Victoria. There will be opportunities for the public to see the royals as they walk around the campus, Grant said.
After getting out of their car, Kate and William will meet some university students, then walk over to view a piece of aboriginal art near the campus’s main administration building.
Then, the royals will enter the campus gym, where they’ll watch an exhibition volleyball match with the UBCO Heat women’s team. The gym can hold several hundred spectators, but only students will be allowed inside, Grant said.
It’s not yet known if the royals will make any public remarks during their tour of the campus.
It’s likely the university will arrange for large TV screens to be set up on the grounds, so people who can’t see the royals in person might at least see them that way.
There will be “some adjustments” to normal class start times and durations on Sept. 27 to maximize the opportunity for students, faculty and staff to see the royals, Grant said.
After departing UBCO, Kate and William will be driven through Kelowna to Mission Hill Winery in West Kelowna. That is not listed as a public event on a news release distributed Monday by the provincial government.
“The best opportunity for the public to see (the royals) would be at the arrival and departure at the University of British Columbia Okanagan,” Nathalie Huneault of Heritage Canada wrote in an email, confirming the Mission Hill event will not be a public viewing opportunity.
The royal couple “will take part in the B.C. government’s ‘Taste of British Columbia’ festival at Mission Hill,”
according to information on the tour posted on the Royal Family’s own website.
“The Okanagan region is producing world-class wine, cheese and food, and the Duke and Duchess will have a chance to sample some of the province’s best offerings,” according to royal.uk.
“They will also meet with local young people who are learning about potential careers in food and agriculture,” the website says.
After visiting Mission Hill, the royals will leave the Okanagan and go to Whitehorse.
In 1986, when Prince Charles and Diana visited Kelowna, a crowd estimated at 25,000 greeted the royals in City Park.
The royal couple will arrive in Victoria with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, on Sept. 24 to start their provincial tour.