King Charles III of Great Britain and Queen Camilla arrived in Canada on a visit. There, the monarch will deliver his first throne speech in 48 years to the parliament of the North American country. Canadians expect the king to protect them from attacks by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, while Downing Street is trying to convince Charles III to behave as carefully and moderately as possible in relation to Washington.
The British monarch came to Canada for two days. He will open the parliament session with his speech. The last time his mother, Queen Elizabeth, did this was back in 1977. She has spoken twice within the walls of the legislature. The first one was in 1957. And King George VI, the grandfather of the current head of the country, did not speak to parliament at all, although he visited Canada in 1939.
The King received a special invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney seems to be hinting that Charles III should show Trump so that he doesn’t get cocky.
In short, a landmark event is planned for the 45th opening of the parliament session. The expectations of Canadians from him are appropriate. Although Trump has become a little more correct, he still does not show enough respect for their country. Canadians are convinced that they are not Americans. They’re different. And part of a different identity is precisely belonging to the British crown. Charles III is in a sense a symbol of this, along with the social differences in the politics of Washington and Ottawa.
Ahead of the king’s visit, Carney told reporters that Charles III’s visit “clearly underlines the sovereignty of our country.” “This is a historical honor that corresponds to the significance of our time,” he stressed. The Governor-General of Canada, Mary Simon, should also play her role. Formally, she is the main person in Canada and the link between the monarch and the North American country. Simon met Charles III at the airport with Carney and a number of other officials.
In addition to the speech in Parliament, the monarch will visit the memorial to Canadian soldiers who fell in World War II and personally meet with Simon and Carney. Charles III himself describes Canada as “a proud, resilient and compassionate country.” And during the planting of trees at Buckingham Palace, the monarch preferred maple, which was also interpreted as a special location for the Country of the maple leaf. Overall, this is the King’s twentieth visit to Canada.
However, the media notes that under the circumstances, London and Ottawa do not have contradictions, but rather questions for each other. Ottawa wants to be protected from Trump’s attacks, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is interested in not spoiling relations with the White House, as the prospect of a trade deal looms between London and Washington, which seemed illusory even after Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
Carney was not afraid to continue the confrontation with his powerful neighbor. He stated that the United States, which was a reliable ally, has become a partner that cannot be trusted anymore. And this line is quite acceptable to Canadians themselves, who voted for the liberals in the last election precisely because their values, unlike those of the conservatives, are very different from the views preached by Trump (see NG dated 04/29/25).
However, Washington and Ottawa managed to avoid the most severe confrontation. After an extremely tense winter period, the parties began a more constructive dialogue, including in the field of security, respect for sovereignty and tariffs.