Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be joining their parents on tour in Canada later this month, it has been announced, along with all the stops on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s itinerary. See what to expect on #RoyalVisitCanada.
The statement from Kensington Palace said that William and Kate are ‘delighted’ with the programme and that they ‘cannot wait to get to Canada and start learning about new parts of a country that will play such an important part of their lives for many years to come’.
The family of four – William, Kate, George and Charlotte – will be going to Canada together. Andrew Parsons / i-Images
Day one: William, Kate, George and Charlotte will arrive in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, on Saturday 24th September, and will travel with the Royal Canadian Air Force for the flight. The Cambridges will go to Government House, which is where the family will be based during the tour, a private area they can use.
This will be Princess Charlotte’s first tour, and her brother’s second, as he was taken to New Zealand and Australia in 2014.
Later that day, the Duke and Duchess will head to the Parliament Buildings, and mark the Canadian contribution in the Afghan conflict with a plaque unveiling. Something of a walkabout will follow. Then comes the political aspect of the visit, and a chance for the Duke to test out his acquired knowledge as future Sovereign: William and Catherine are to meet with senior Canadian leaders.
William and Kate will visit Victoria’s Parliament Buildings (Alyson Hurt)
Day Two: Vancouver is the first stop on day 2 of the visit, and the VIPs will be taken by float plane. To link in with Kate’s work on addiction, the couple will visit Sheway, a charity that works with vulnerable mothers who are battling addiction and other issues.
The Immigration Services Society of British Columbia will also receive the Royal guests, where the Duke and Duchess are to engage with Syrian refugees, hear their stories and discuss issues such as employment and education once they have arrived in the Commonwealth realm.
An arts even with young people will follow, before paying a visit to Kitsilano Coastguard Station in Vanier Park, to learn about the emergency services in the area. A hovercraft will take William and Kate to their plane home.
Day Three: Monday will be an entire day in the rainforest! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend a few hours in the Great Bear Rainforest – the world’s largest temperate rainforest, which has also been announced as Canada’s commitment to The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, a network of conservation projects.
The Great Bear Rainforest will be explored by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in British Columbia (Province of British Columbia)
The pair will be given an aerial view of the rainforest by going up into the sky in a float plane, before landing and greeting the local community, the Heiltsuk First Nations. A ceremony will officially make the forest part of the QCC initiative, near McGloughlin Bay. By boat, William and Catherine will head back to Victoria and their children.
That evening back in Victoria, the Duke and Duchess will attend a reception hosted by the province of British Columbia at Government House.
Government House, the Cambridges base during their tour of Canada.
Day Four: A flight will take the couple to Kelowna, in the Okanagan Valley, for a stop at the University of British Columbia. Here, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will meet students and the local community, and get to see the nationally ranked women’s volleyball team in action.
It is then to the ‘Taste of British Columbia’ festival at Mission Hill Winery, where William and Kate will chow down on local produce. They will also speak with youngsters about careers in food and agriculture.
Whitehorse, Yukon, will be next to welcome the Royal visitors, where they will spend some time with the Canadian and Junior Rangers.
Later that evening they will watch a cultural performance at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. It will be an overnight stay in Whitehorse for the Duke and Duchess.
Day Five: Wednesday starts with a visit to the MacBride Museum, to learn about Yukon’s history. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited the telegraph office, now part of the museum, in 1959.
The Cambridges – William, Kate, George and Charlotte – will make at least two appearances as a family, plus arrival and departures (i-images)
Party time will follow for William and Catherine at Main Street in Whitehorse, which is home to many artists and craftsmen. Music, food and maybe even some dancing(!) are on the menu.
The Duke and Duchess will later make their way to Carcross, a small town nearby, with amazing scenery on the drive down. The Carcross/Tagish First Nation will welcome them and they will be given a tour of the recently completed buildings and public spaces there.
William and Kate, both 34, are to then head to Montana Mountain to learn about the Single Track to Success (S2S) project. It helps local youths whilst also improving tourism in the area and creating mountain bike trails. They will spend the night back in Victoria.
Day Six: We expect to see both Prince George and Princess Charlotte on Thursday, as the family attend a children’s party at Government House. A group of military families – remembering that the Cambridges were one as Prince William served in the RAF – have been invited to share the morning with the Royal couple. The rest of the day will be spent privately as a family for William, Catherine, George and Charlotte, a much needed break in the hubbub of their busy tour.
William and Kate will be canoeing around the islands of Haida Gwaii (David Will/Island Conservation)
Day Seven: On Friday, Haida Gwaii is on the itinerary. The group of islands on the northern coast will be explored by canoe for a while, before the Duke and Duchess visit the Haida Heritage Centre and Museum for an official welcome. The islands are home to the Haida Nation, and the couple will be addressed by the President of the Haida Nation, before opening the new Haida Gwaii Hospital and Care Centre. The new facility means the people no longer need to leave the island for certain treatments.
The guests will try their hand at fishing with young people from the Skidegate Youth Centre.
Day Eight – final day: The entire family will visit the Cridge Centre, making it at least two scheduled public appearances for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, plus arrival and departure. The centre offers childcare, youth outreach, and support for women who have experienced domestic violence.
The Duke and Duchess will then then visit a local café where they will meet with families that have been supported by the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, one of British Columbia’s leading mental health charities. The stop fits in nicely with the couple’s work with Prince Harry through their Heads Together campaign.
Sailing is next on the list, as the couple board a tall-ship operated by the Sail and Life Training Society, a charity that uses the power of sailing to give young people skills and direction in their lives. Kate’s work with the 1851 Trust will no doubt be discussed here. The Duchess and her husband will help sail the boat back to Victoria Harbour.
An official departure ceremony will take place at Victoria Harbour Airport to say goodbye to the Cambridges. A float plane will give them a brief tour of the southern tip of Vancouver Island, before they head back to the UK with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
