Charles and Camilla Kick-Off Three-Day Visit to Canada

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s three-day visit to Canada to mark the country’s 150th anniversary began today, with the royal couple arriving in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, along the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Greeted at the airport by Canadian Governor-General David Johnston and his wife Sharon, Prince Charles and Camilla then headed to an official welcoming ceremony at Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, which included traditional Inuit elements to honour the first people of the region.

“Arriving here today brings back the happiest of memories chiefly because this is where I began my first visit to this great country almost 50 years ago,” the Prince said in his brief address during the ceremony. He first visited Canada in 1970 alongside the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and sister Anne to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Northwest Territories.

The couple then attended solo engagements over lunch: Prince Charles joined a language preservation event where he learnt about the local community’s efforts to preserve the Inuit language, and spoke with a task force that has been established to “develop a unified writing system for Inuit languages”. He was taught a few phrases in the language, which he skilfully used in a later speech.

Meanwhile, Camilla was attending a women and wellness event at the Qayuqtuvik Food Centre, seeing with local organisations who work to improve the health and lives of the female population in the Northwest Territories. Among the people the Duchess met were representatives from the governmental program into suicide prevention.

Brushing up on his Inuktitut, His Royal Highness is given a brief lesson in one of #Iqaluit’s official languages! #RoyalVisitCanada pic.twitter.com/EdpQvumioV

— The Crown in Canada (@TheCrownCa) June 29, 2017

Charles and Camilla then rejoined in the early afternoon for their final engagement in Iqaluit, a community event at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. Here, they were entertained by local performers, saw a number of traditional crafts, and visited the Tukisigiarvik Inuit Centre where they learnt about traditional Inuit medicines.

They then joined local Elders and members of the community for a feast consisting of bannock (flat bread) and tea. One of the highlights was the couple trying on new snow sunglasses (that give off a very 1960s vibe!).

This trip is the Prince’s 18th to Canada, and the Duchess’s fourth. Day two of their visit will see Charles and Camilla in Ontario.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Anniversary, Canada, Governor-General Johnston of Canada, Language, Official Visit, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales.

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