On Thursday, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall travelled to Canada to begin their short trip celebrating the nation’s 150th anniversary of independence.
Charles and Camilla left RAF Brize Norton and landed in Iqaluit, Nunavut; the couple went to the Legislative Assembly with the Governor General of Canada (the Rt. Hon. David Johnston) for a welcoming ceremony. Here, Prince Charles gave a speech and a royal inspection of the Quarter Guard of the Canadian Rangers.
He said that he and Camilla were ‘delighted to be back in Canada’ and spoke of the ‘warmth of the welcome from the Inuit people’. The Prince also took the opportunity to bring up the issue of global warming affecting the remote location of Nunavut, whose seas used to be in-surpassable in the 16th century.
“Each time I visit Canada I see the strength and resilience of the people who live here, the importance of theirindigenous traditions and the vision and drive that helped shape this extraordinary nation.” This is Charles’ 18th visit to the north American country, and Camilla’s fourth.
“I hope that the celebration of 150 years of confederation will encourage all Canadians not just to look back with pride, but also to look forward with hope and inspiration,” said The Prince of Wales.
“I am sure all Canadians will celebrate and enjoy the party – and we are so very touched to be invited to join you.”
The first engagement for The Prince of Wales was a Language Preservation event at the Legislative Assembly. He was received by the Hon. Peter Taptuna (Premier of Nunavut). Charles has an interest in preserving tradition and culture, which includes Indigenous languages like those used in Nunavut.
Charles had a go at speaking Inqaluit himself, causing giggles amongst the crowd, and learnt about the Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit, which is the Inuit language authority.
Meanwhile The Duchess of Cornwall met local women from Qimaavik Women’s Shelter, which is a community organisation focusing on Health and Wellbeing. Topics discussed included suicide and nutrition.
As part of the visit to Iqaluit, The Duchess met local women at a Women and Wellness Event. #RoyalVisitCanada pic.twitter.com/lZ6BRum0gG
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) June 29, 2017
Charles also visited the Nunavut Reserve Centre, Nunavut. He talked to students and representatives at the Nunavut Research Institute about their work.
The royal couple rounded off the day by attended a Community Feast in Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, where they took in the surrounding nature and shared tea and bannock with elders.
The Prince and Duchess then flew to Trenton for the evening.
The Royal Couple enjoying a cup of tea with the Elders at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park #RoyalVisitCanada #Nunavut pic.twitter.com/BOomJalo31
— The Crown in Canada (@TheCrownCa) June 29, 2017
