Royal tour in pictures
A FISHING trip by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday off the coast of British Columbia yielded little more than empty lines after the couple spent 15 minutes trying to catch salmon with youngsters from a youth centre.
However, they had more success with crab traps, with the Duchess exclaiming: “They’re so big!”
Without being prompted, she gamely asked the guide if she could hold one, before wielding a huge Dungeness crab, later posing cheerfully with a precaught salmon for the camera.
The day, on the islands of Haida Gwaii, was part of an all-action final two days in the eight-day royal trip to Canada.
After a trip in a traditional war canoe powered by a dozen paddlers, with the Duke and Duchess themselves among the paddlers, the couple returned to the water in Victoria for a tall ship sailing excursion and visits to a centre for victims of domestic violence and a café supporting children with mental health issues.
The Royal couple also risked the wrath of animal rights campaigners after accepting a gift of scarves said to be lined with sea otter fur.
The couple were given the garments as a sign of welcome and respect by the local First Nations Haida Community, with the woven raven’s tail scarves being a sign of wealth and rank.
The Duke said later that they had enjoyed a very good day, despite the “best laid plans” for catching fish going awry. He told Christy Clark, the Premier of British Columbia, at the Cridge Centre for Families in Victoria: “We didn’t catch anything. It’s typical, whenever we go anywhere. “All the best laid plans go to pot. That [pre-caught] salmon was the biggest fish I’ve seen. It was a great day.” The event at the family centre saw the Duke and Duchess meet children who turned out in the princess dresses and home-made crowns to greet them, including Netusha Danister, seven, there with her mother Amalee. The Duchess recognised Netusha was dressed as the character Elsa from the wildly popular children’s film Frozen. “She asked me, ‘Are you a princess?’ ” Netusha said. “And I said, ‘Yes.’ Then she asked me about Frozen and said, ‘What’s your favourite character?’ And I said ‘Elsa’ and she liked that.” Palace insiders said the Duke and Duchess had been thrilled to introduce their children to Canada, hoping to inspire a lifelong relationship with a new Commonwealth generation. Aside from their one official engagement, a lively tea party, the two children enjoyed themselves in the privacy of Government House and around Victoria, with secret outings with their nanny, Maria Borrallo, including one to Beacon Hill Children’s Farm, a petting zoo in Victoria, to keep them entertained. In honour of the trip, Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, announced last night that his government will bestow a gift of C$100,000 (£59,000) on behalf of the Royal family, which will be divided equally between the Prince’s Charities Canada and the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia.
The family of four left Victoria harbour by seaplane after a whirlwind tour described as the “grittiest” ever, before transferring to a jet for the transatlantic flight home.
After they arrive back in England, the staff of Kensington Palace will turn their attentions to their next major tour: Prince Harry’s visit to the Caribbean later this year.