Talking to parliamentarians
Hi. I’m Janet Davison, a senior writer and editor based out of Toronto. I also look after our newsletter that explores royal issues and analysis, The Royal Fascinator.
I’m back with you again today as Charles carries out the prime task of this extremely focused and very short visit to Canada: reading the speech from the throne.
The speech this morning marks the second time in less than two months that Charles is making history while talking to parliamentarians.
In this case, that history includes only the third time the monarch has read the speech in Canada, and the first time it’s been by a King. Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, read the speech twice: once in 1957 and again in 1977, when she was here marking her Silver Jubilee and 25 years on the throne.
And in April, Charles became the first British monarch to address both houses of the Italian parliament. That speech, however, had a hint of Canada in it, as Charles made a point of noting his role as our head of state.
“Tomorrow in Ravenna, as King of the United Kingdom and of Canada, I will have the great honour of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of that province … in which British and Canadian forces played a key role,” he said.
Such attention to Canada from the King stood out, coming as it did after those who watch him closely were seeing an increase in signals and royal symbolism in support of the country as it faced repeated taunts from Trump about becoming the 51st U.S. state.
Such rhetoric from Trump has faded of late, but a monarch making such a reference in an international, non-Commonwealth setting to his role as King of Canada is rare and has few if any parallels in recent royal times.
