Royal tours of Canada
Encyclopedia
Canadian royal tours have been taking place since 1786, and continue into the 21st century, either as an official tour, a working tour, a vacation, or a period of military service by a member of the Canadian Royal Family. Originally, official tours were events predominantly for Canadians to see and possibly meet members of their Royal Family, with the associated patriotic pomp and spectacle. However, nearing the end of the 20th century, such occasions took on the added dimension of a theme; for instance, the 2005 tour of Saskatchewan
and Alberta
by Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh
, was deemed to be a vehicle for Her Majesty and all other Canadians to honour "The Spirit of Nation Builders." The couple's tour in 2010 was themed "Honouring the Canadian Record of Service Past, Present and Future." Official royal tours have always been vested with civic importance, providing a regionalised country with a common thread of loyalty.
Also, junior members of the Royal Family began to undertake unofficial "working" tours of Canada as well; in this method, royal figures are invited by provinces, municipalities, and other organizations to events which the latter fund without assistance from the federal government. The Queen's children, The Prince of Wales
, The Princess Royal
, The Duke of York
and The Earl of Wessex
, as well as the Queen's cousin, Prince Michael of Kent
, have all made several small tours in this fashion.
The first royal figure to be present in Canada was The Prince William (later William IV
), who arrived on the country's east coast in 1786. However, while his niece, Queen Victoria, never came to Canada, her son, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), initiated the traditional format of the Canadian royal tour: partaking in official engagements, meeting politicians and the public, and reviewing troops. While invitations had been regularly made since 1858 for the reigning monarch to tour Canada, it was in 1939 that George VI became the first to actually do so. During that trip, the King's consort, Queen Elizabeth, initiated the tradition of the "royal walkabout", though her brother-in-law, The Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII), had when still The Prince of Wales in 1919 been frequently meeting with everyday Canadian people; as he said: "Getting off the train to stretch my legs, I would start up conversations with farmers, section hands, miners, small town editors or newly arrived immigrants from Europe."
Royal tours can take upwards of a year to organize. Modern ones have run with a theme, such as that of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2010, which was intended to highlight "the Canadian record of service—past, present and future." In summer 2011, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured Canada in their first official overseas trip as a married couple.
), made numerous visits to Halifax
between 1786 and 1789 while serving as lieutenant and later captain of HMS Pegasus part of the Royal Navy
's North American Station based at the Halifax Naval Yard
. On 21 August 1786, he celebrated his 21st birthday on his ship in the waters off Newfoundland.
The Prince Edward (later father of Queen Victoria) served as military commander at Halifax from 1794 to 1800 (he was crated Duke of Kent in 1799).
, Nova Scotia
, Prince Edward Island
, Upper Canada
, and Lower Canada
in 1860. He travelled through St. John's, there attending the St. John's Regatta
. He landed at Charlottetown on 10 August 1860, where he was welcomed by Governor George Dundas
and proceeded to Government House
. There, he held audience with the Executive Council
. Over the course of the visit, the Prince of Wales toured the countryside around Charlottetown, held a levee at Government House, and visited Province House, where he received the addresses of the Executive Council and later attended a ball that lasted until 3:00 am. Upon his departure, he left with the Governor £
150 for charitable use. At Ottawa, the Prince laid the foundation stone of the parliament buildings
. In Quebec, he stayed at the Governor General's residence at Spencerwood
, dedicated the Victoria Bridge
, and took a raft run of the timber slides of the Chaudière River
. In Toronto, he opened Queen's Park before heading on to see Niagara Falls
, which were illuminated for the first time for his visit. There, he rode on the Maid of the Mist
, met at Queenston Heights
with veterans of the War of 1812
, dedicated a rebuilt Brock's Monument
, as the original had been blown up years earlier by Fenian Raiders, and visited with Laura Secord
, and in Hamilton
dedicated and planted a tree in Prince's Square.
A year later, The Prince Alfred
(later Duke of Edinburgh) took five weeks to tour the maritime
provinces, Newfoundland, and Lower Canada. He was from time to time between 1878 and 1883 stationed in Halifax as Commander of the Royal Navy
's North Atlantic Squadron
.
In 1869, the sovereign's third son, The Prince Arthur
(later Duke of Connaught) arrived for training with the Rifle Brigade based at Montreal
. It was not all work for the Prince, though; amongst other activities, Arthur attended an investiture ceremony in Montreal, met with Canadians at balls and garden parties, and toured towns throughout Ontario and Quebec, the entire trip documented in photographs that were sent back for the Queen to view.
Prince George of Wales
was in 1882 stationed in the Maritimes
as a midshipman on the HMS Cumberland
and, during his time there, drove the last spike into Newfoundland's first railway, the Harbour Grace Railway
.
The Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
, and her husband, the then Governor General the Marquess of Lorne
, in 1881 toured Ontario, becoming the first royals to attend the Queen's Plate
, which had been founded by the Queen in 1860. They were also the first royals to pass through what is today Saskatchewan
in 1882, and during a stop at the not yet named territorial capital, in the dining room of the Royal Train
, Princess Louise named the new community Regina
, after her mother, the Queen.
Princess Louise was visited by her family in Canada: her brother, The Prince Leopold
(later Duke of Albany), came and reviewed the troops on the Plains of Abraham
and fished on the Cascapédia River
; and Prince George of Wales (later George V
), Louise's nephew, was in Canada as a midshipman, visiting Niagara Falls
, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, and staying for a lengthy period at Government House in Ottawa.
One of Louise's other brothers, The Duke of Connaught
, with his wife the Duchess, visited Ontario in 1890.
As modern modes of transportations allowed for easier travel across the oceans, more of the Royal Family came to tour the King's northern Dominion. The first since Queen Victoria's death was the son of the reigning king, Prince George (later George V
) and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall and York, who arrived in Canada in 1901. The royal party which consisted of 22 people, including the Duchess' brother Prince Alexander of Teck
landed at Quebec City
on 16 September, from where the group then travelled to Montreal
where separate Francophone
and Anglophone welcoming committees caused confusion and then on to Ottawa
, where the Duke watched the lacrosse
final for the Minto Cup
, which he enjoyed so much he kept the ball that was used. They then shot the timber slide
at the Chaudière River
, watched canoe
races, and picnicked in Rockcliffe woods, near Ottawa. They passed through Ontario, creating "incredible excitement seldom seen since the visit of his father in 1860." Amongst other duties, the Prince dedicated the Alexandra Bridge
in Ottawa, in honour of Queen Alexandra
.
The Duke and Duchess moved on to Manitoba
where the former opened the new science building at the University of Manitoba
, and then to Regina
in the Northwest Territories
. In Calgary
, they met with First Nations
chiefs and viewed exhibitions. Westward, they ended up in Vancouver
and Victoria
, to turn back again towards Banff
, where the Duchess went to Tunnel Mountain
and Lake Louise
while the Duke went to Poplar Point. After passing back through Regina, they reunited in Toronto
, welcomed by the Mendelssohn Choir
, and attended concerts at Massey Hall
. It was then around southern Ontario
and back Montreal again, where the Duke opened the newly rebuilt Victoria Bridge
. The tour ended with a trip through Saint John
, Halifax, and then out of Canada to the then still separate Newfoundland
. The Prince returned only once more before he became king, when he visited in 1908, by then as Prince of Wales
, to celebrate the tercentenary of Quebec City's founding. Prince Arthur arrived in Toronto once again on 14 April, where he was greeted at the Canadian Pacific Railway
station by 2,500 people, and three days later visited the Royal Ottawa Golf Club
, moving between greens in a special electric car.
After the turn of the 20th century, Canada's Governor General, then The Duke of Connaught
, in 1912 inaugurated the Legislative Building
and laid the cornerstone of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, He also toured British Columbia and laid the cornerstone for the new Provincial Library at the provincial parliament building
.
In September 1919, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), was in Ontario on a number of occasions; he first travelled throughout the province in 1919, laying the foundation stone of the Peace Tower
on Parliament Hill
, opening the Canadian National Exhibition
in Toronto, meeting with the League of Canadian Indians at Sault Ste. Marie
, and taking a three day canoe trip down the Nipigon River
to fish and hunt with two personal Ojibwa
guides. The Prince then came to Saskatchewan and while there renamed a branch library in Regina as the Prince of Wales Library. He toured areas of greater Vancouver
, attending a civic reception and military ball, as well as opening the New Westminster Exhibition. The Prince also went on to Victoria, where he laid the foundation stone of a statue of Queen Victoria on the grounds of the provincial parliament building
. The Prince of Wales in 1923 and 1924 spent time at his ranch in Alberta, touring as well various towns and cities; in the latter year, he stopped at Rideau Hall for various official functions and again frustrated his staff by disappearing for dancing and golf. In 1926, the Prince's brother, The Prince George
(later Duke of Kent), arrived in Canada and actively took part in squash, badminton, and tennis games played in Rideau Hall's Tent Room; the then Governor General, The Marquess of Willingdon
, said of the Prince: "Such a nice boy, but shy, & as mad ib exercise as the P. of W."
In August 1927, the Prince of Wales and the Prince George opened Union Station
in Toronto, the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place
, and dedicated the Peace Bridge
across the Niagara River
.
royal tour by George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It was the first visit of a reigning monarch to Canada. It began May 17, 1939 and saw the royal couple visit every Canadian province as well as the Untied States and the Dominion of Newfoundland
.
The royals arrived in Quebec
city, and travelled west by rail through the country visiting most of the major cities and finally arriving in Vancouver. They they travelled through the United States, along with Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The tour ended with a visit to the Maritimes and Newfoundland, departing from Halifax.
This tour marked the first time that the sovereign's official Canadian birthday
was marked with the monarch himself present in the country; the occasion was marked on Parliament Hill
with a celebration and a Trooping of the Colour
. Later, during a tour of Canada, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother stated in a speech: "It is now some 46 years since I first came to this country with the King, in those anxious days shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. I shall always look back upon that visit with feelings of affection and happiness. I think I lost my heart to Canada and Canadians, and my feelings have not changed with the passage of time."
in 1967.
(Countess of Harewood), in 1964 marked the 50th anniversary of the departure of the first contingent of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment from St. John's to the battlefields of World War I
.
arrived in Halifax in 1973 to mark the bicentennial of the arrival of the Hector
, the first ship to land at Nova Scotia with Scottish colonists.
, made their first appearance in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Alberta in 1951, on behalf of her ailing father. The couple toured New Brunswick; after the Princess and Duke arrived at Fredericton's Union Station on 6 November, they were there greeted by both Lieutenant Governor David Laurence MacLaren
and hundreds of well-wishers, and moved on to tour the University of New Brunswick
, Christ Church Cathedral
, and the Legislative Assembly Building
. It was then on to Saint John
, where the royal couple travelled in a motorcade watched by some 60,000 people, visited a veterans' hospital, and attended a civic dinner at the Admiral Beatty Hotel, where the silver flatware designed specifically for the 1939 visit of the King was used. After an overnight on the royal train, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh made whistle-stops in Moncton and Sackville
before departing the province. In Toronto, she took in a Toronto Maple Leafs
game at Maple Leaf Gardens
and greeted Ontarians at numerous official functions.
Aside from a brief stop-over for refuelling in Gander, Newfoundland
in 1953 during which the Queen decided, after being roused from sleep at 3:20 am by their singing of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow
", to address the crowd gathered outside, Her Majesty returned to Canada in 1957, there giving her first ever live television address, appointing her husband to her Canadian Privy Council
at a meeting which she chaired, and on 14 October, opening the first session of the 23rd parliament
. About 50,000 people descended on Parliament Hill to witness the arrival of the monarch. Due to the financial austerity of the times, the pageantry was muted in comparison to what would be seen at a similar event in the United Kingdom. June Callwood
said in her coverage of the tour for Maclean's
: "The Queen's role in Canada, it appeared to some observers, hinged on calculated pageantry, just enough to warm the pride of Canadians who revere tradition and stateliness above state but not so much as to antagonize those who consider royalty a blindingly off-colour bauble in an age of lean fear." In Saskatchewan, the Queen inaugurated the natural gas-fired Queen Elizabeth Power Station
on the South Saskatchewan River
.
Two years later, the Queen returned and toured every province and territory of the country; Buckingham Palace officials and the Canadian government opted to dub this a "royal tour", as opposed to a "royal visit", to dispel any notion that the Queen was a visiting foreigner. Controversy arose in the run-up to the visit when CBC
personality Joyce Davidson
, while being interviewed by Dave Garroway
on NBC
's Today Show, said that as an "average Canadian" she was "pretty indifferent" to the Queen's forthcoming visit. Davidson was lambasted in the Canadian press and by many indignant Canadians for her comment. Regardless, the Queen toured the entire country, specifically directing that events she attended should be public, rather than closed luncheons or receptions; further, popular Canadian athletic stars were invited to royal events for the first time, so that during her tour the Queen met with Jean Béliveau
, Sam Etcheverry
, Maurice Richard
, Punch Imlach
, and Bud Grant
.
One of the most important events of this trip was the official opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
, along with President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, where, in Prescott, Ontario
, The Queen made her first live appearance
on Canadian television. During this tour, the Queen paid numerous visits to Canadian industries, and again made a visit to the United States as Canada's head of state, stopping in Chicago and Washington, D.C., with Diefenbaker as her attending minister. The Prime Minister insisted that the Queen be accompanied at all times by a Canadian Cabinet
minister, being determined to make it clear to Americans that the Queen was visiting the United States as the Canadian monarch, and that "it is the Canadian embassy and not the British Embassy officials who are in charge" of the Queen's itinerary. Her Majesty's speeches in Chicago, written by her Canadian ministers, stressed steadily the fact that she had come to call as Queen of Canada. In this vein, the Queen hosted the return dinner for Eisenhower at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
Her Majesty returned to New Brunswick, at the end of her pan-Canada tour. The sovereign presided over a Queen's Scout
recognition ceremony in Fredericton, visited the veterans' hospital in Lancaster
, and undertook a walkabout in Victoria Park, Moncton. At Pointe-du-Chêne
, the royal couple visited briefly with the families of fishermen who had died the previous month in a storm off Escuminac
, making a donation to the New Brunswick Fisherman's Disaster Fund that was established in honour of the deceased.
Unknown to all involved, the Queen was pregnant with her third child
. Prime Minister Diefenbaker urged her to cut the tour short after her disclosure to him at Kingston, Ontario
, but Her Majesty swore him to secrecy and continued the journey, leaving the public announcement of the upcoming birth until she returned to London.
Once the news was released, criticism of the tour that had simmered during its progress unleashed in full: Diefenbaker was blamed for pushing the Queen to carry on a grueling continent-wide trip, and the brevity of stops necessary to complete such a journey, combined with the formality and inaccessibility of events, led to calls for a cease to that format of royal tour. The Albertan stated: "The fact is that royalty has no roots in Canada. And if roots must be put down, they certainly should be of a different kind than those which are historically proper for Britain." Prior to the tour, the President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
, with the support of the Mayor of Quebec City, requested of the tour officials that, on the evening of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Her Majesty light the main bonfire
in celebration. Though the Queen did lay a wreath at the James Wolfe Monument on the Plains of Abraham
, the Queen's Canadian Secretary
at the time, Howard Graham
, left the bonfire off the itinerary, leading to complaints. Successes were also noted, especially in the Crown's assistance in entrenching the newly emerging Canadian identity; the Queen ensured that the Red Ensign
(then Canada's national flag) was flown on the Royal Yacht
, and she stood to attention for the duration of each playing of "O Canada
", the country's then still unofficial national anthem, sometimes even joining in the singing.
The Queen also celebrated the centennial of the Confederation Conferences
in Charlottetown in 1964.
. She toured Alberta and Saskatchewan in July 1973, to celebrate the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, opening the new RCMP museum building in Regina, and in 1978, to open the Commonwealth Games
in Edmonton. In Saskatchewan, Her Majesty dedicated Queen Elizabeth Court, in front of Regina's city hall.
Her Majesty was in 1976 again in New Brunswick, arriving at Fredericton on 15 July, after which she travelled to Woolastook Provincial Park to visit the Boy Scout
Jamboree campsite, picnic
ed with 3,500 schoolchildren, toured the Kings Landing Historical Settlement
, and attended a provincial dinner with fireworks following. The Queen's second day in New Brunswick brought her to the Miramichi
area, where she attended a provincial lunch, visited Chatham
and Newcastle
, and toured the Burchill Laminating Plant in Nelson-Miramichi
.
The Queen also journeyed to New Brunswick to celebrate the province's bicentennial in 1984, touching down, along with Prince Philip, at Moncton airport on 24 September, from where the royal party travelled to Shediac
, Sackville, Riverview
, and Fredericton over the course of three days. While at the Legislative Building, the Queen issued a Royal Warrant
augmenting the province's coat of arms
with its present crest, supporters, compartment, motto. She also, when in Fredericton, unveiled a plaque in Wilmot Park that honoured Edward Wilmot and recounted the dedication of the park by the Queen's great-grandfather.
In 2002, for her Golden Jubilee celebrations, Elizabeth II toured Canada.
In 2005, the Queen was in Alberta again to mark the province's 100th anniversary of entry into Confederation, where she attended, along with an audience of 25,000, a kick-off concert at Commonwealth Stadium
, re-designated the Provincial Museum of Alberta as the Royal Alberta Museum
, and addressed the Legislative Assembly, becoming the first reigning monarch to do so. The Alberta Ministry of Learning
encouraged teachers to focus education on the monarchy and to organize field trips for their students to see the Queen and her consort, or to watch the events on television. In Saskatchewan, the Queen presided over the main events for the centennial of Saskatchewan's creation, as well as touring the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron
and the University of Saskatchewan, where, in the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, is stored correspondence between former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
and the Queen.
In 2010, Elizabeth II visited Ontario as part of the 2010 royal tour of Canada. Arriving in Ottawa 30 June 2010, she toured the Canadian Museum of Nature and met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The following day, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh joined the festivities for Canada Day
on Parliament Hill. The Royal Tour of Canada ended as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh departed for New York on July 6, 2010 following visits to Toronto and Waterloo.
came to Manitoba to open the Pan American Games
, which were being held in Winnipeg
that year.
, toured Nova Scotia and British Columbia in 1958. In BC, the Princess opened the new floating bridge
in Kelowna, with two plaques marking the ceremony. She also presided over the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Saskatchewan's entry into Confederation.
and The Princess Anne
presided over the 1970 celebrations of the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Confederation.
The Prince and his first wife, The Princess of Wales
attended the bicentennial in 1983 of the arrival of the first Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia, and also visited Newfoundland to mark the 400th anniversary of the island becoming a British colony.
In 1991, The Prince and Princess of Wales toured Ontario; in Toronto, the Princess was joined on board the Royal Yacht Britannia
by her two sons, Princes William and Harry
, and caused some controversy when she broke from established protocol by enthusiastically hugging the two boys after they ran up the gangplank to meet her. After performing official duties in the city, including a formal dinner at the Royal York hotel, the royal family then went on to visit Sudbury, Kingston
, Ottawa, and Niagara Falls, where the princes, as their great-great-great-grandfather had done, rode on the Maid of the Mist.
The Prince of Wales in 2001 again visited Toronto and Ottawa, where his interactions with the crowds kept Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
waiting for twenty minutes. He toured Saskatchewan and turned the sod for the Prince of Wales Cultural and Recreation Centre in Assiniboia
and dedicated the Anniversary Arch outside Regina's YMCA.
and the Prince of Wales presided over the 1970 celebrations of the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Confederation.
The Princess Royal has made a number of official and private visits to Canada as she is honourary Canadian Forces
colonel in chief of 6 units. Her latest visit was a private function in St. John's, NL in April 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. She marked Regina's centennial.
, at Lakefield College School
for one year.
The Prince Andrew undertook his first tour of Nova Scotia in 1986, during which, amongst other activities, he visited Halifax and skippered the Bluenose II.
The Duke of York came twice in 2003, at one point going into the field in full combat uniform
to observe tactical exercises and address the troops of the Queen's York Rangers, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief
. In July 2011, the Duke made a private trip, with his daughters the princesses, to Norman Wells, NWT.
opened in 1994 the Prince Edward Building
and in 2003 did the same for both Prince Edward Park in Melfort and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Rose Garden in Moose Jaw.
In 2005, the Earl of Wessex and his wife, the Countess, toured Ontario; the Earl visited Peterborough
, Prince Edward County
, and Toronto, while the Countess went to Welland
to be installed as Colonel-in-Chief of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment
.
Since 1987, The Prince Edward has visited Prince Edward Island on a number of occasions.
After 2000, the Countess of Wessex accompanied her husband on a number of tours of Prince Edward Island. Her arrival there in 2002 marked her first official tour outside of the United Kingdom
.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
by Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, was deemed to be a vehicle for Her Majesty and all other Canadians to honour "The Spirit of Nation Builders." The couple's tour in 2010 was themed "Honouring the Canadian Record of Service Past, Present and Future." Official royal tours have always been vested with civic importance, providing a regionalised country with a common thread of loyalty.
Also, junior members of the Royal Family began to undertake unofficial "working" tours of Canada as well; in this method, royal figures are invited by provinces, municipalities, and other organizations to events which the latter fund without assistance from the federal government. The Queen's children, The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, The Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and The Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, as well as the Queen's cousin, Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, making him a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the first cousin once removed of Prince Phillip. Prince Michael occasionally carries out royal duties representing the Queen at some functions in Commonwealth realms outside...
, have all made several small tours in this fashion.
The first royal figure to be present in Canada was The Prince William (later William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
), who arrived on the country's east coast in 1786. However, while his niece, Queen Victoria, never came to Canada, her son, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), initiated the traditional format of the Canadian royal tour: partaking in official engagements, meeting politicians and the public, and reviewing troops. While invitations had been regularly made since 1858 for the reigning monarch to tour Canada, it was in 1939 that George VI became the first to actually do so. During that trip, the King's consort, Queen Elizabeth, initiated the tradition of the "royal walkabout", though her brother-in-law, The Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII), had when still The Prince of Wales in 1919 been frequently meeting with everyday Canadian people; as he said: "Getting off the train to stretch my legs, I would start up conversations with farmers, section hands, miners, small town editors or newly arrived immigrants from Europe."
Royal tours can take upwards of a year to organize. Modern ones have run with a theme, such as that of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2010, which was intended to highlight "the Canadian record of service—past, present and future." In summer 2011, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toured Canada in their first official overseas trip as a married couple.
1700s
The Prince William (later William IVWilliam IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
), made numerous visits to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
between 1786 and 1789 while serving as lieutenant and later captain of HMS Pegasus part of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's North American Station based at the Halifax Naval Yard
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax
Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax was a British Royal Navy base in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1759 to 1905. The Halifax Yard was the main year round base of the Royal Navy's North American Station when first established in 1759 during the Seven Years' War....
. On 21 August 1786, he celebrated his 21st birthday on his ship in the waters off Newfoundland.
The Prince Edward (later father of Queen Victoria) served as military commander at Halifax from 1794 to 1800 (he was crated Duke of Kent in 1799).
1800s
The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) undertook a two-month tour of NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, and Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
in 1860. He travelled through St. John's, there attending the St. John's Regatta
Royal St. John's Regatta
The Royal St. John's Regatta is North America's oldest annual sporting event with documented proof of 1816 boat races. There is credible contention that St. John's regattas were held even earlier than 1816, likely in the 18th century....
. He landed at Charlottetown on 10 August 1860, where he was welcomed by Governor George Dundas
George Dundas
George Dundas CMG was a Scottish Tory politician and colonial administrator.Born in England, he was the eldest son of James Dundas, and resided in Dundas Castle. Dundas purchased a Second Lieutenantcy in the Rifle Brigade in 1839, serving in various places such as Bermuda and Nova Scotia...
and proceeded to Government House
Government House (Prince Edward Island)
Government House of Prince Edward Island, often referred to as Fanningbank, is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, as well as that in Charlottetown of the Canadian monarch...
. There, he held audience with the Executive Council
Executive Council of Prince Edward Island
The Executive Council of Prince Edward Island is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
. Over the course of the visit, the Prince of Wales toured the countryside around Charlottetown, held a levee at Government House, and visited Province House, where he received the addresses of the Executive Council and later attended a ball that lasted until 3:00 am. Upon his departure, he left with the Governor £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
150 for charitable use. At Ottawa, the Prince laid the foundation stone of the parliament buildings
Centre Block
The Centre Block is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of Members of Parliament and Senators, as well as senior administration for both legislative houses...
. In Quebec, he stayed at the Governor General's residence at Spencerwood
Government House (Quebec)
Quebec's Government House, known as Spencerwood, was the Vice regal residence of Quebec. It was built in 1854. Located at the Bois-de-Coulonge park, it was purchased by the Quebec Government in 1870 and served as the residence of Quebec Lieutenant-Governors until 1966 when a major fire destroyed...
, dedicated the Victoria Bridge
Victoria Bridge (Montreal)
Victoria Bridge , formerly originally known as Victoria Jubilee Bridge, is a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, linking Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore city of Saint-Lambert....
, and took a raft run of the timber slides of the Chaudière River
Chaudière River
The Chaudière River is a long river with its source near the Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Megantic in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, it runs northwards to flow into the St. Lawrence River opposite Quebec City...
. In Toronto, he opened Queen's Park before heading on to see Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, which were illuminated for the first time for his visit. There, he rode on the Maid of the Mist
Maid of the Mist
The Maid of the Mist is a boat tour of Niagara Falls. The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge, and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe...
, met at Queenston Heights
Queenston Heights
thumb|Brock's Monument|250px|Brock's Monument at Queenston HeightsThe Queenston Heights is a geographical feature of the Niagara Escarpment immediately above the village of Queenston, Ontario, Canada. Its geography is a promontory formed where the escarpment is divided by the Niagara River...
with veterans of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, dedicated a rebuilt Brock's Monument
Brock's Monument
Brock's Monument is a 56-metre column atop Queenston Heights, in Queenston, Ontario, Canada, dedicated to Major General Sir Isaac Brock, one of Canada's heroes of the War of 1812...
, as the original had been blown up years earlier by Fenian Raiders, and visited with Laura Secord
Laura Secord
Laura Ingersoll Secord was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for warning British forces of an impending American attack that led to the British victory at the Battle of Beaver Dams.-Early life:...
, and in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
dedicated and planted a tree in Prince's Square.
A year later, The Prince Alfred
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
(later Duke of Edinburgh) took five weeks to tour the maritime
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
provinces, Newfoundland, and Lower Canada. He was from time to time between 1878 and 1883 stationed in Halifax as Commander of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's North Atlantic Squadron
North Atlantic Squadron
The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...
.
In 1869, the sovereign's third son, The Prince Arthur
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
(later Duke of Connaught) arrived for training with the Rifle Brigade based at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It was not all work for the Prince, though; amongst other activities, Arthur attended an investiture ceremony in Montreal, met with Canadians at balls and garden parties, and toured towns throughout Ontario and Quebec, the entire trip documented in photographs that were sent back for the Queen to view.
Prince George of Wales
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
was in 1882 stationed in the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
as a midshipman on the HMS Cumberland
HMS Cumberland (1842)
HMS Cumberland was a 70-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 21 October 1842 at Chatham Dockyard.She carried a crew of 620 men. In March 1854 she sailed to the Baltic Sea as war with Russia was imminent . Cumberland was involved in the attack on Bomarsund, Finland in...
and, during his time there, drove the last spike into Newfoundland's first railway, the Harbour Grace Railway
Newfoundland Railway
The Newfoundland Railway was a railway which operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of , it was the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America.-Early construction:...
.
The Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
, and her husband, the then Governor General the Marquess of Lorne
John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll
John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, VD, PC , usually better known by the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, by which he was known between 1847 and 1900, was a British nobleman and was the fourth Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883...
, in 1881 toured Ontario, becoming the first royals to attend the Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
, which had been founded by the Queen in 1860. They were also the first royals to pass through what is today Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
in 1882, and during a stop at the not yet named territorial capital, in the dining room of the Royal Train
Royal Train
A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.-Australia:...
, Princess Louise named the new community Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, after her mother, the Queen.
Princess Louise was visited by her family in Canada: her brother, The Prince Leopold
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was the eighth child and fourth son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold was later created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow...
(later Duke of Albany), came and reviewed the troops on the Plains of Abraham
Plains of Abraham
The Plains of Abraham is a historic area within The Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, that was originally grazing land, but became famous as the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759. Though written into the history books, housing and minor...
and fished on the Cascapédia River
Cascapédia River
The Cascapédia River is a river in the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec which rises in the Chic-Choc Mountains and empties into Baie de la Cascapédia, a small bay on Baie des Chaleurs. The river is about 120 km in length.It is known for its Atlantic Salmon fishing...
; and Prince George of Wales (later George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
), Louise's nephew, was in Canada as a midshipman, visiting Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, and staying for a lengthy period at Government House in Ottawa.
One of Louise's other brothers, The Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, with his wife the Duchess, visited Ontario in 1890.
1900s
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
) and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall and York, who arrived in Canada in 1901. The royal party which consisted of 22 people, including the Duchess' brother Prince Alexander of Teck
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Major-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
landed at Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
on 16 September, from where the group then travelled to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
where separate Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
and Anglophone welcoming committees caused confusion and then on to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, where the Duke watched the lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
final for the Minto Cup
Minto Cup
The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's lacrosse team of Canada.It was donated in 1901 by the Governor-General, Lord Minto, and from 1901 until 1909 awarded to the senior men's champion of Canada...
, which he enjoyed so much he kept the ball that was used. They then shot the timber slide
Timber slide
A timber slide is a device for moving timber past rapids and waterfalls. Their use in Canada was widespread in the 18th and 19th century timber trade. At this time, cut timber would be floated down rivers in large timber rafts from logging camps to ports such as Montreal and Saint John, New...
at the Chaudière River
Chaudière River
The Chaudière River is a long river with its source near the Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Megantic in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, it runs northwards to flow into the St. Lawrence River opposite Quebec City...
, watched canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
races, and picnicked in Rockcliffe woods, near Ottawa. They passed through Ontario, creating "incredible excitement seldom seen since the visit of his father in 1860." Amongst other duties, the Prince dedicated the Alexandra Bridge
Alexandra Bridge
The Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge spanning the Ottawa River between Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec. It is known locally as both the "Alexandra Bridge" and the "Interprovincial Bridge".-History:...
in Ottawa, in honour of Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
.
The Duke and Duchess moved on to Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
where the former opened the new science building at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, and then to Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
in the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. In Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, they met with First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
chiefs and viewed exhibitions. Westward, they ended up in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, to turn back again towards Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
, where the Duchess went to Tunnel Mountain
Tunnel Mountain
Tunnel Mountain is a mountain located in the Bow River Valley of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The mountain is nearly completely encircled by the town of Banff and the Banff Springs Hotel grounds.-History:...
and Lake Louise
Lake Louise (Alberta)
Lake Louise is a lake in Alberta, Canada. The glacial lake is located in Banff National Park, from the hamlet of Lake Louise and the Trans-Canada Highway....
while the Duke went to Poplar Point. After passing back through Regina, they reunited in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, welcomed by the Mendelssohn Choir
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is a Canadian large vocal ensemble based in Toronto.The choir was co-founded in 1894 by Augustus S. Vogt and W. H. Hewlett. The ensemble was originally an extension of the choir of Jarvis St. Baptist Church in Toronto which Vogt directed and Hewlett accompanied. The...
, and attended concerts at Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
. It was then around southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and back Montreal again, where the Duke opened the newly rebuilt Victoria Bridge
Victoria Bridge (Montreal)
Victoria Bridge , formerly originally known as Victoria Jubilee Bridge, is a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, linking Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore city of Saint-Lambert....
. The tour ended with a trip through Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, Halifax, and then out of Canada to the then still separate Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. The Prince returned only once more before he became king, when he visited in 1908, by then as Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, to celebrate the tercentenary of Quebec City's founding. Prince Arthur arrived in Toronto once again on 14 April, where he was greeted at the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
station by 2,500 people, and three days later visited the Royal Ottawa Golf Club
Royal Ottawa Golf Club
The Royal Ottawa Golf Club is a premier private golf club located in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1891, and has made major contributions to the development of Canadian golf right from its early years, hosting many important championships and meetings, and continues to do so. Several...
, moving between greens in a special electric car.
After the turn of the 20th century, Canada's Governor General, then The Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, in 1912 inaugurated the Legislative Building
Saskatchewan Legislative Building
The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and houses the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.-History:...
and laid the cornerstone of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, He also toured British Columbia and laid the cornerstone for the new Provincial Library at the provincial parliament building
British Columbia Parliament Buildings
The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia....
.
In September 1919, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), was in Ontario on a number of occasions; he first travelled throughout the province in 1919, laying the foundation stone of the Peace Tower
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower is a focal bell and clock tower, sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Tower after the latter burned down in 1916, along with most of the Centre Block...
on Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
, opening the Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
in Toronto, meeting with the League of Canadian Indians at Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, and taking a three day canoe trip down the Nipigon River
Nipigon River
The Nipigon River is about long and 50 to 200 m wide in Ontario, Canada. The river drains Lake Nipigon into Nipigon Bay in Lake Superior, dropping from an elevation of 260 m to 183 m .-History:...
to fish and hunt with two personal Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
guides. The Prince then came to Saskatchewan and while there renamed a branch library in Regina as the Prince of Wales Library. He toured areas of greater Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, attending a civic reception and military ball, as well as opening the New Westminster Exhibition. The Prince also went on to Victoria, where he laid the foundation stone of a statue of Queen Victoria on the grounds of the provincial parliament building
British Columbia Parliament Buildings
The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia....
. The Prince of Wales in 1923 and 1924 spent time at his ranch in Alberta, touring as well various towns and cities; in the latter year, he stopped at Rideau Hall for various official functions and again frustrated his staff by disappearing for dancing and golf. In 1926, the Prince's brother, The Prince George
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
(later Duke of Kent), arrived in Canada and actively took part in squash, badminton, and tennis games played in Rideau Hall's Tent Room; the then Governor General, The Marquess of Willingdon
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
, said of the Prince: "Such a nice boy, but shy, & as mad ib exercise as the P. of W."
In August 1927, the Prince of Wales and the Prince George opened Union Station
Union Station (Toronto)
Union Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Toronto, located on Front Street West and occupying the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in the central business district. The station building is owned by the City of Toronto, while the...
in Toronto, the Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial,...
, and dedicated the Peace Bridge
Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York, in the United States to the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario, in Canada...
across the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
.
1939 royal tour
The 1939 royal tour of Canada was a cross-CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
royal tour by George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It was the first visit of a reigning monarch to Canada. It began May 17, 1939 and saw the royal couple visit every Canadian province as well as the Untied States and the Dominion of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
.
The royals arrived in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
city, and travelled west by rail through the country visiting most of the major cities and finally arriving in Vancouver. They they travelled through the United States, along with Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The tour ended with a visit to the Maritimes and Newfoundland, departing from Halifax.
This tour marked the first time that the sovereign's official Canadian birthday
Victoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
was marked with the monarch himself present in the country; the occasion was marked on Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
with a celebration and a Trooping of the Colour
Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...
. Later, during a tour of Canada, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother stated in a speech: "It is now some 46 years since I first came to this country with the King, in those anxious days shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. I shall always look back upon that visit with feelings of affection and happiness. I think I lost my heart to Canada and Canadians, and my feelings have not changed with the passage of time."
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother went to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to celebrate Canada's centennialCanadian Centennial
The Canadian Centennial was a year long celebration held in 1967 when Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. Celebrations occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1. 1967 coins were different from previous years' issues, with animals on each...
in 1967.
Mary, Princess Royal
The Princess RoyalMary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
The Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood was a member of the British Royal Family; she was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the sixth holder of the title of Princess Royal...
(Countess of Harewood), in 1964 marked the 50th anniversary of the departure of the first contingent of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment from St. John's to the battlefields of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, The Hon Mrs Angus OgilvyPrincess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
arrived in Halifax in 1973 to mark the bicentennial of the arrival of the Hector
Hector (ship)
The Hector was a ship famous for having brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773.- Career :A full rigged Fluyt, the Hector was employed in local trade in waters of the British Isles as well as the immigrant trade to North America, having made at least one trip ca...
, the first ship to land at Nova Scotia with Scottish colonists.
Elizabeth II
The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and her husband, The Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, made their first appearance in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Alberta in 1951, on behalf of her ailing father. The couple toured New Brunswick; after the Princess and Duke arrived at Fredericton's Union Station on 6 November, they were there greeted by both Lieutenant Governor David Laurence MacLaren
David Laurence MacLaren
David Laurence MacLaren, was a Canadian politician and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick....
and hundreds of well-wishers, and moved on to tour the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
, Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral (Fredericton)
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral church located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the see city. Construction on the cathedral began in 1845. It was officially opened in 1853. The "Gothic Revival" style cathedral is modelled after St. Mary's Church, Snettisham, Norfolk.G. Ernest Fairweather ...
, and the Legislative Assembly Building
New Brunswick Legislative Building
The New Brunswick Legislative Building is the home to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, and is located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Opened in 1882, the Second Empire style structure was designed by J.C...
. It was then on to Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, where the royal couple travelled in a motorcade watched by some 60,000 people, visited a veterans' hospital, and attended a civic dinner at the Admiral Beatty Hotel, where the silver flatware designed specifically for the 1939 visit of the King was used. After an overnight on the royal train, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh made whistle-stops in Moncton and Sackville
Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town...
before departing the province. In Toronto, she took in a Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
game at Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
and greeted Ontarians at numerous official functions.
Aside from a brief stop-over for refuelling in Gander, Newfoundland
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
Gander is a Canadian town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate and east of Grand Falls-Windsor...
in 1953 during which the Queen decided, after being roused from sleep at 3:20 am by their singing of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
"For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" is a song which is sung to congratulate a person on a significant event, such as, a promotion, a birthday, the birth of a child, or the winning of a championship sporting event. The melody originates from that of the French song "Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre...
", to address the crowd gathered outside, Her Majesty returned to Canada in 1957, there giving her first ever live television address, appointing her husband to her Canadian Privy Council
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
at a meeting which she chaired, and on 14 October, opening the first session of the 23rd parliament
23rd Canadian Parliament
The 23rd Canadian Parliament was in session from October 14, 1957 until February 1, 1958. The membership was set by the 1957 federal election on June 10, 1957, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1958 election.It holds the...
. About 50,000 people descended on Parliament Hill to witness the arrival of the monarch. Due to the financial austerity of the times, the pageantry was muted in comparison to what would be seen at a similar event in the United Kingdom. June Callwood
June Callwood
June Rose Callwood, was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was born in Chatham, Ontario and grew up in nearby Belle River.-Early life and career:...
said in her coverage of the tour for Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
: "The Queen's role in Canada, it appeared to some observers, hinged on calculated pageantry, just enough to warm the pride of Canadians who revere tradition and stateliness above state but not so much as to antagonize those who consider royalty a blindingly off-colour bauble in an age of lean fear." In Saskatchewan, the Queen inaugurated the natural gas-fired Queen Elizabeth Power Station
Queen Elizabeth Power Station
Queen Elizabeth Power Station is a natural gas fired station owned by SaskPower, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The station was called the South Saskatchewan River Generating Station until it was commissioned in 1959 by Queen Elizabeth II when the name was changed.- Description :The...
on the South Saskatchewan River
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan....
.
Two years later, the Queen returned and toured every province and territory of the country; Buckingham Palace officials and the Canadian government opted to dub this a "royal tour", as opposed to a "royal visit", to dispel any notion that the Queen was a visiting foreigner. Controversy arose in the run-up to the visit when CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
personality Joyce Davidson
Joyce Davidson
Joyce Davidson was a Canadian and American television personality.-Career:She was a member of CBC Television's Tabloid, a current affairs program with a light entertainment manner, in the 1950s....
, while being interviewed by Dave Garroway
Dave Garroway
David Cunningham "Dave" Garroway was the founding host of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing, relaxed, and relaxing style belied a battle with depression that may have contributed to the end of his days as a leading television personality—and, eventually, his life...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Today Show, said that as an "average Canadian" she was "pretty indifferent" to the Queen's forthcoming visit. Davidson was lambasted in the Canadian press and by many indignant Canadians for her comment. Regardless, the Queen toured the entire country, specifically directing that events she attended should be public, rather than closed luncheons or receptions; further, popular Canadian athletic stars were invited to royal events for the first time, so that during her tour the Queen met with Jean Béliveau
Jean Béliveau
Jean Arthur "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau, is a former professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley...
, Sam Etcheverry
Sam Etcheverry
Sam "The Rifle" Etcheverry was a professional American and Canadian football player and head coach. Etcheverry played the quarterback position, most famously with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and was named Canadian football's Most Outstanding Player in 1954...
, Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...
, Punch Imlach
Punch Imlach
George "Punch" Imlach , was an NHL coach and general manager. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early career:...
, and Bud Grant
Bud Grant
Harry Peter "Bud" Grant, Jr is the former longtime American football head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for eighteen seasons. Grant was the second and fourth head coach of the team...
.
One of the most important events of this trip was the official opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
, along with President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, where, in Prescott, Ontario
Prescott, Ontario
Prescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
, The Queen made her first live appearance
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
on Canadian television. During this tour, the Queen paid numerous visits to Canadian industries, and again made a visit to the United States as Canada's head of state, stopping in Chicago and Washington, D.C., with Diefenbaker as her attending minister. The Prime Minister insisted that the Queen be accompanied at all times by a Canadian Cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
minister, being determined to make it clear to Americans that the Queen was visiting the United States as the Canadian monarch, and that "it is the Canadian embassy and not the British Embassy officials who are in charge" of the Queen's itinerary. Her Majesty's speeches in Chicago, written by her Canadian ministers, stressed steadily the fact that she had come to call as Queen of Canada. In this vein, the Queen hosted the return dinner for Eisenhower at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
Her Majesty returned to New Brunswick, at the end of her pan-Canada tour. The sovereign presided over a Queen's Scout
Queen's Scout
The Queen's Scout Award is the highest youth award achievable in the Scouting movement in several countries. It is awarded in realms of the Commonwealth, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where the Scouts operate under the ceremonial leadership of the monarch.The...
recognition ceremony in Fredericton, visited the veterans' hospital in Lancaster
Lancaster, New Brunswick
Lancaster was a small city on the west side of the Saint John River at its mouth into the Bay of Fundy. It was amalgamated into Saint John, New Brunswick in 1967.-External links:*...
, and undertook a walkabout in Victoria Park, Moncton. At Pointe-du-Chêne
Pointe-du-Chene, New Brunswick
Pointe-du-Chêne is a small community located in south east New Brunswick near Shediac. Located on Shediac Bay, an inlet of the Northumberland Strait, Pointe-du-Chêne, also called The Point, is the home of Parlee Beach Provincial Park...
, the royal couple visited briefly with the families of fishermen who had died the previous month in a storm off Escuminac
Escuminac, New Brunswick
Escuminac is a Canadian rural community in Northumberland County, New Brunswick.Located on the south shore of Miramichi Bay, the community is several kilometres west of Point Escuminac, the southeastern limit of the bay. Canada's largest inshore fishing vessel harbour is home to the local fishing...
, making a donation to the New Brunswick Fisherman's Disaster Fund that was established in honour of the deceased.
Unknown to all involved, the Queen was pregnant with her third child
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. Prime Minister Diefenbaker urged her to cut the tour short after her disclosure to him at Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, but Her Majesty swore him to secrecy and continued the journey, leaving the public announcement of the upcoming birth until she returned to London.
Once the news was released, criticism of the tour that had simmered during its progress unleashed in full: Diefenbaker was blamed for pushing the Queen to carry on a grueling continent-wide trip, and the brevity of stops necessary to complete such a journey, combined with the formality and inaccessibility of events, led to calls for a cease to that format of royal tour. The Albertan stated: "The fact is that royalty has no roots in Canada. And if roots must be put down, they certainly should be of a different kind than those which are historically proper for Britain." Prior to the tour, the President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu....
, with the support of the Mayor of Quebec City, requested of the tour officials that, on the evening of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Her Majesty light the main bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
in celebration. Though the Queen did lay a wreath at the James Wolfe Monument on the Plains of Abraham
Plains of Abraham
The Plains of Abraham is a historic area within The Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, that was originally grazing land, but became famous as the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759. Though written into the history books, housing and minor...
, the Queen's Canadian Secretary
Canadian Secretary to the Queen
The Canadian Secretary to the Queen is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the sovereign of Canada. The secretary is the principal channel of communication between the Queen and her Canadian government, provincial governments, and the governments of the fifteen other...
at the time, Howard Graham
Howard Graham
Lieutenant General Howard Douglas Graham, was a Canadian Army Officer and former Chief of the General Staff.-Early life:...
, left the bonfire off the itinerary, leading to complaints. Successes were also noted, especially in the Crown's assistance in entrenching the newly emerging Canadian identity; the Queen ensured that the Red Ensign
Canadian Red Ensign
The Canadian Red Ensign is the former flag of Canada, used by the federal government though it was never adopted as official by the Parliament of Canada. It is a British Red Ensign, featuring the Union Flag in the canton, defaced with the shield of the Coat of Arms of Canada.-History:The Red Ensign...
(then Canada's national flag) was flown on the Royal Yacht
HMY Britannia
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the 83rd such vessel since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. She is the second Royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince of Wales...
, and she stood to attention for the duration of each playing of "O Canada
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
", the country's then still unofficial national anthem, sometimes even joining in the singing.
The Queen also celebrated the centennial of the Confederation Conferences
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
in Charlottetown in 1964.
1970s to today
In 1971, the Queen was in British Columbia to celebrate the centennial of the province's entry into Confederation; and in 1994, when she opened the University of Northern British ColumbiaUniversity of Northern British Columbia
The University of Northern British Columbia is a small, primarily undergraduate university whose main campus is in Prince George, British Columbia. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John...
. She toured Alberta and Saskatchewan in July 1973, to celebrate the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, opening the new RCMP museum building in Regina, and in 1978, to open the Commonwealth Games
1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec...
in Edmonton. In Saskatchewan, Her Majesty dedicated Queen Elizabeth Court, in front of Regina's city hall.
Her Majesty was in 1976 again in New Brunswick, arriving at Fredericton on 15 July, after which she travelled to Woolastook Provincial Park to visit the Boy Scout
Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association that, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
Jamboree campsite, picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
ed with 3,500 schoolchildren, toured the Kings Landing Historical Settlement
Kings Landing Historical Settlement
King's Landing is a recreation of a New Brunswick town from the period of 1780-1910. It was created around buildings that were saved and moved to make way for the headpond for the Mactaquac Dam....
, and attended a provincial dinner with fireworks following. The Queen's second day in New Brunswick brought her to the Miramichi
Miramichi
The name "Miramichi" was first applied to a region in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada, and has since been applied to other places in Canada and the United States...
area, where she attended a provincial lunch, visited Chatham
Chatham, New Brunswick
Chatham is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County along the south bank of the Miramichi River opposite Douglastown...
and Newcastle
Newcastle, New Brunswick
Newcastle is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County....
, and toured the Burchill Laminating Plant in Nelson-Miramichi
Nelson-Miramichi, New Brunswick
Nelson-Miramichi is a Canadian suburban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation on January 1, 1995, Nelson-Miramichi was an incorporated village in Northumberland County and one of the oldest European settlements in the Miramichi Valley.Earl J...
.
The Queen also journeyed to New Brunswick to celebrate the province's bicentennial in 1984, touching down, along with Prince Philip, at Moncton airport on 24 September, from where the royal party travelled to Shediac
Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster...
, Sackville, Riverview
Riverview, New Brunswick
Riverview is a Canadian town in Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.Riverview is located on the south side of the Petitcodiac River, across from the cities of Moncton and Dieppe. Riverview has an area of , and a population density of...
, and Fredericton over the course of three days. While at the Legislative Building, the Queen issued a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
augmenting the province's coat of arms
Coat of arms of New Brunswick
The original coat of arms of New Brunswick was granted to New Brunswick by a Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria on 26 May 1868. The provincial flag is a banner of the arms.-History:...
with its present crest, supporters, compartment, motto. She also, when in Fredericton, unveiled a plaque in Wilmot Park that honoured Edward Wilmot and recounted the dedication of the park by the Queen's great-grandfather.
In 2002, for her Golden Jubilee celebrations, Elizabeth II toured Canada.
In 2005, the Queen was in Alberta again to mark the province's 100th anniversary of entry into Confederation, where she attended, along with an audience of 25,000, a kick-off concert at Commonwealth Stadium
Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)
Commonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.- History :...
, re-designated the Provincial Museum of Alberta as the Royal Alberta Museum
Royal Alberta Museum
The Royal Alberta Museum is located in Edmonton, Alberta and was named the Provincial Museum of Alberta until 24 May 2005 when Queen Elizabeth II visited, bestowing royal patronage. It has a natural history exhibit, a wildlife exhibit, an entomology exhibit, a Native Culture exhibit, as well as...
, and addressed the Legislative Assembly, becoming the first reigning monarch to do so. The Alberta Ministry of Learning
Education in Alberta
As with any Canadian province, the Alberta Legislature has exclusive authority to make laws respecting education. Since 1905 the Legislature has used this capacity to continue the model of locally elected public and separate school boards which originated prior to 1905, as well as to create and/or...
encouraged teachers to focus education on the monarchy and to organize field trips for their students to see the Queen and her consort, or to watch the events on television. In Saskatchewan, the Queen presided over the main events for the centennial of Saskatchewan's creation, as well as touring the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron
Canadian Light Source Synchrotron
The Canadian Light Source is a third-generation 2.9 GeV synchrotron located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It opened on October 22, 2004 after three years of construction and cost C$173.5 million. One of forty-two such facilities in the world, it occupies a footprint the size of a football...
and the University of Saskatchewan, where, in the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, is stored correspondence between former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963...
and the Queen.
In 2010, Elizabeth II visited Ontario as part of the 2010 royal tour of Canada. Arriving in Ottawa 30 June 2010, she toured the Canadian Museum of Nature and met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The following day, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh joined the festivities for Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
on Parliament Hill. The Royal Tour of Canada ended as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh departed for New York on July 6, 2010 following visits to Toronto and Waterloo.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
In 1967, The Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
came to Manitoba to open the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
, which were being held in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
that year.
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
The Queen's sister, The Princess Margaret, Countess of SnowdonPrincess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
, toured Nova Scotia and British Columbia in 1958. In BC, the Princess opened the new floating bridge
Pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
in Kelowna, with two plaques marking the ceremony. She also presided over the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Saskatchewan's entry into Confederation.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
The Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
presided over the 1970 celebrations of the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Confederation.
The Prince and his first wife, The Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
attended the bicentennial in 1983 of the arrival of the first Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia, and also visited Newfoundland to mark the 400th anniversary of the island becoming a British colony.
In 1991, The Prince and Princess of Wales toured Ontario; in Toronto, the Princess was joined on board the Royal Yacht Britannia
HMY Britannia
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the 83rd such vessel since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. She is the second Royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince of Wales...
by her two sons, Princes William and Harry
Prince Harry of Wales
Prince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, and caused some controversy when she broke from established protocol by enthusiastically hugging the two boys after they ran up the gangplank to meet her. After performing official duties in the city, including a formal dinner at the Royal York hotel, the royal family then went on to visit Sudbury, Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ottawa, and Niagara Falls, where the princes, as their great-great-great-grandfather had done, rode on the Maid of the Mist.
The Prince of Wales in 2001 again visited Toronto and Ottawa, where his interactions with the crowds kept Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
waiting for twenty minutes. He toured Saskatchewan and turned the sod for the Prince of Wales Cultural and Recreation Centre in Assiniboia
Assiniboia, Saskatchewan
Assiniboia is a town in south central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located south-southwest of Moose Jaw beside Highway 2 and Highway 13.-History:...
and dedicated the Anniversary Arch outside Regina's YMCA.
Anne, Princess Royal
The Princess AnneAnne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and the Prince of Wales presided over the 1970 celebrations of the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Confederation.
The Princess Royal has made a number of official and private visits to Canada as she is honourary Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
colonel in chief of 6 units. Her latest visit was a private function in St. John's, NL in April 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. She marked Regina's centennial.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Her Majesty enrolled her son, The Prince AndrewPrince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, at Lakefield College School
Lakefield College School
Lakefield College School is a coeducational boarding school located north of the village of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.The school's motto is Mens Sana In Corpore Sano...
for one year.
The Prince Andrew undertook his first tour of Nova Scotia in 1986, during which, amongst other activities, he visited Halifax and skippered the Bluenose II.
The Duke of York came twice in 2003, at one point going into the field in full combat uniform
CADPAT
Canadian Disruptive Pattern is the computer-generated digital camouflage pattern currently used by the Canadian Forces . CADPAT is designed to reduce the likelihood of detection by night vision devices. The basic uniform consists of a wide brim combat hat, helmet cover, shirt, jacket, trousers,...
to observe tactical exercises and address the troops of the Queen's York Rangers, of which he is Colonel-in-Chief
Colonel-in-Chief
In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
. In July 2011, the Duke made a private trip, with his daughters the princesses, to Norman Wells, NWT.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
The Prince EdwardPrince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
opened in 1994 the Prince Edward Building
Prince Edward Building (Regina)
The Prince Edward Building is the current official name of the historic post office building in Regina, Saskatchewan, located at the corner of Scarth Street and 11th Avenue. The site had been occupied by Knox Presbyterian Church until it was demolished.The post office was designed in the...
and in 2003 did the same for both Prince Edward Park in Melfort and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Rose Garden in Moose Jaw.
In 2005, the Earl of Wessex and his wife, the Countess, toured Ontario; the Earl visited Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
, and Toronto, while the Countess went to Welland
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
to be installed as Colonel-in-Chief of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces based in St Catharines and Welland, Ontario.The Regimental Colonel-in-Chief is The Countess of Wessex and...
.
Since 1987, The Prince Edward has visited Prince Edward Island on a number of occasions.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
In 2009, the Queen's daughter-in-law, The Countess of Wessex, opened the Air Force Museum of Alberta in Calgary, spending an extended amount of time regarding the displays.After 2000, the Countess of Wessex accompanied her husband on a number of tours of Prince Edward Island. Her arrival there in 2002 marked her first official tour outside of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
See also
- List of royal tours of Canada (18th-20th centuries)
- List of royal tours of Canada (21st century)
- List of royal visits to Hamilton, Ontario
- Royal visits to SaskatchewanRoyal visits to Saskatchewan-Canadian Royal Family:-Governors General of Canada:-References:*...
- Royal and viceroyal transport in CanadaRoyal and viceroyal transport in CanadaVarious modes of transport have been used for royal and viceroyal figures in Canada, generally for royal tours of parts of the country and viceregal official and ceremonial duties in both the provinces and the federal sphere...
- List of state and official visits by Canada
- Royal JourneyRoyal JourneyRoyal Journey is a National Film Board of Canada documentary film chronicling a five-week Royal visit by then-Princess Elizabeth and the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to Canada and the United States in the fall of 1951...
- List of Commonwealth visits made by Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal visits to AustraliaRoyal visits to AustraliaSince 1867, there have been over fifty visits by a member of the Royal Family to Australia, though only six of those came before 1954. Elizabeth II is the only reigning monarch of Australia to have set foot on Australian soil; she first did so on 3 February 1954...
- United States presidential visits to CanadaUnited States presidential visits to CanadaVisits by the President of the United States to Canada have been a part of Canada – United States relations since the early twentieth century....
External links
- Royal visit 2010: The Queen visits Canada (cbcnews.ca)
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Royal Tours
- Canada, by Train: Royal Tours
- CBC Digital Archives - Their Majesties in Canada: The 1939 Royal Tour
- Watch Royal Journey, an NFB documentary on the 1951 Royal Visit
- Royal Tour
- Canadian Heritage - Monarchy in Canada, Royal Visits