Will, Kate to make return trip to Canada
Don’t strain your ears expecting to hear grumbling from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a fall tour of Canada.
They might be a bit shy, but they’re not complainers.
Kate and William didn’t say boo during a visit to Canada in 2011 when they were compared in Quebec to circus freaks and parasites by demonstrators, who greeted their motorcade with crude gestures as a plane flew overhead pulling a banner that read, “Vive le Quebec libre.”
Despite all the hubbub, a spokesperson said at the time that the royal couple had “fallen in love” with Canada, and that they even considered the protests against them as an example of the country’s characteristic complexity.
The upcoming royal tour will take them to “the beautiful province of British Columbia and the scenic territory of Yukon,” Gov. Gen. David Johnston said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
News of this fall’s tour comes just days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent an official invitation to the royal couple and their family to visit Canada whenever their schedules permitted.
In a statement, Trudeau said the visit will present a chance for Canadians of all backgrounds to meet with the Duke and Duchess “and learn more about our heritage, traditions and institutions.”
B.C. Premier Christy Clark likened the upcoming visit to other milestone events hosted by the western province. “Like the Olympics, Women’s World Cup, Expo 86 and other in- ternational events, the royal tour will focus global attention on B.C. and showcase everything British Columbians take pride in, from our unmatched natural beauty to our thriving, diverse communities,” Clark said in a statement.
A detailed itinerary will be published later, but there was no mention of a stop in Toronto.
The royal couple didn’t visit Toronto in 2011 either. Instead, they visited the Ottawa area, and made stops in Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife, Slave Lake and Calgary.
There was no immediate word on whether they would bring their children, George and Charlotte, but don’t be surprised if the kids stay home at the palace.
During a recent tour of India, Kate was asked why they didn’t bring George and Charlotte. “Because they’d be running around,” she replied. The Cambridges — as they’re known in the British press — have faced criticism for “allegedly putting their own family ahead of the family “firm,” in the words of Camilla Tominey of The Express.
That criticism — which includes Williams being called “Work-shy William” — intensified this spring after it was reported that the Queen, who is 90, still carries out more official engagements than the Cambridges and William’s younger brother Prince Harry combined, Tominey noted.