King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to arrive in Ottawa Monday afternoon, a day before his majesty delivers the Speech from the Throne to open the 45th Parliament of Canada.听
Follow along here for live coverage of the 2025 royal visit.
King Charles III is arriving in Canada's capital on Monday on his first visit to the country since becoming the British monarch. Joined by Queen Camilla, the royals will be greeted with a ceremonial welcome.
Some tree planting trivia, as we wait for the King and Queen
Their Majesties will kick off this visit with a ceremonial tree planting at Rideau Hall.
Royals have a thing for tree planting: The late Queen Elizabeth II planted her first, a yew tree, when she was just 11 to mark her father鈥檚 coronation. (It鈥檚 reportedly still thriving 88 years later.)
An advocate of the environment long before it was cool, King Charles has kept up this family tree-dition. In 2025 alone, he鈥檚 planted multiple saplings, including an October Glory maple in the grounds of Buckingham Palace to commemorate the Queen鈥檚 Canopy tree planting initiative, an oak while in Italy, and a Swedish oak in Windsor gifted to him by that country鈥檚 king and queen.
Fun fact: According to his country home Clarence House鈥檚 official Instagram, when the king plants a tree, 鈥渉e often gives a branch a friendly shake to wish it well.鈥
Quebec MP Francis Scarpaleggia elected as speaker of the House of Commons

Francis Scarpaleggia speaks during the election process for Speaker in the House of Commons in Ottawa on May 26, 2025.
Adrian Wyld The Canadian PressQuebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia was elected Speaker of the House of Commons on Monday 鈥 after an unusually dramatic race that saw the only Conservative contenders drop out of the running at the last minute.
Conservative MPs Chris d鈥橢ntremont and John Nater both put their names forward but withdrew on the House floor before the election began Monday morning.
The Liberals currently have 169 seats in the minority Parliament, leaving them three seats shy of the 172 required for a majority.
The Diana of it all

Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry on the Maid of the Mist in 1991.听
Barry Gray/The Hamilton SpectatorAlthough she鈥檚 been dead nearly thirty years聽鈥 and Charles and Camilla just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary聽鈥 Princess Diana remains an omnipresent character in this royal story.
See: The social media crusaders proclaiming 鈥淐amilla will never be my queen鈥 on almost any post about Queen Camilla, including those announcing this visit.

Princess Diana in Canada in 1983.
Spremo, BorisIt鈥檚 no different when it comes to the royals and Canada: The late Princess of Wales not only visited several times, including a 1983 trip and a 1991 visit that saw her taking William and Harry to Niagara Falls. (It also happened to be one of the last tours Charles and Diana did before their 1992 separation. In hindsight, their multiple solo engagements seem quite significant.)
Scenes from Macdonald-Cartier International airport

Practising musicians, at the Ottawa airport, where King Charles, Queen Camilla, and a bevy of British officials and media are expected to arrive on Monday, May 26.
Raisa Patel, 海角社区官网StarThe scene is still quiet, except for practising musicians, at the Ottawa airport, where King Charles, Queen Camilla, and a bevy of British officials and media are expected to arrive in about an hour. Pictured is the tarmac where the King will disembark from an RCAF Airbus CC-330 Husky, and a 鈥渟weep鈥 dog, Jasper, who checks over the media鈥檚 equipment.
In a hangar behind me, groups of local schoolchildren, Canadian Armed Forces members, and dignitaries are preparing for the arrival ceremony.
Growing crowds and the odd protestor at Ottawa's Lansdowne Park

Crowd gathers at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park in anticipation of the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Mark Ramzy, 海角社区官网StarThe crowd is getting bigger at Lansdowne Park, with mostly supporters and other curious folks gathering to await the Royal Family.
Big Leung, who was visiting from Australia to see her sister, told the Star she was urged by her friends back home to make time during her trip to see the Royals and take photos of them.
鈥淚 have a heavy responsibility,鈥 she joked.
Others, like Annie Coulter, said she wanted to take up on the once in a lifetime opportunity to see King Charles, noting the Monarch鈥檚 health issues.
She said amid turmoil in the world, including U.S President Donald Trump鈥檚 threats towards Canada, she sees the Royals as a 鈥渃alming influence.鈥
鈥淗is mother, the queen, was the same way,鈥 Coulter told the Star. 鈥淲henever they spoke, or whenever they were somewhere, you always knew that you were in good hands.鈥
Still, there鈥檚 the odd protestor. One person in the crowd is holding a double sided sign.
One side reads: 鈥淐harles is not my King. And neither is Mark Carney.鈥
The other: 鈥淛esus King of Kings.鈥
First visit by a monarch in 15 years

Front page of the 海角社区官网Star on the day Queen Elizabeth II visited Toronto, during the last visit by a Canadian monarch.
海角社区官网Star archivesWhen King Charles鈥 plane sets down at the Ottawa airport early this afternoon, it will mark the first visit by the monarch in 15 years.
Queen Elizabeth II last visited Canada from June 29 to July 6, 2010. Like Charles will this afternoon, Elizabeth participated in a ceremonial tree planting at Rideau Hall 鈥 but unlike Charles, she also visited Halifax, Winnipeg and the 海角社区官网area.
Elizabeth attended the Queen鈥檚 Plate race at Woodbine Racetrack and toured Research in Motion in Waterloo, the makers of the BlackBerry.
In the 15 years since, there have been seven official royal tours 鈥 including four by Charles and Camilla, most recently in May 2022, when they were still the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Sizeable crowd awaits King's arrival
Here鈥檚 the view from Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, where the King is expected to make his first public appearance on his itinerary in about two hours.
Already a sizeable crowd here waiting for the Royals.

Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.
Mark Ramzy/海角社区官网StarPrime Minister Mark Carney welcomes King Charles III and Queen Camilla
In a statement released earlier today, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the royal visit will be a “reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown聽鈥 one forged over generations, shaped by shared histories, and grounded in common values.”
Today, we are honoured to welcome Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Canada.
鈥 Prime Minister of Canada (@CanadianPM)
This is a reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown, one forged over generations.
Photo: Millie Pilkington
Carney said King Charles’ speech from the throne Tuesday will match the “weight of our times.”
“It speaks to our enduring tradition and friendship, to the vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our distinct identity, and to the historic ties that crises only fortify,” Carney said.
After all, that’s the subtext of this entire visit: U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to Canadian sovereignty. Some royal watchers expect Trump to weigh in on the trip, although so far today, the president has been busy posting about his escalating fight with Harvard.
Australia visit

The Sydney Opera House sails show photos of Britain’s King Charles soon after his arrival in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.听
Mark Baker AP file photoThe king鈥檚 visit to Canada is certainly democratically significant - but it鈥檚 got a very different political charge to his trip Down Under last fall.

Australian politician, Senator Lidia Thorpe heckles King Charles III during the ceremonial welcome and Parliamentary reception at the Australian Parliament House on October 21, 2024, in Canberra, Australia.
Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty ImagesTwo hot button issues for Aussies were front and centre on his first royal overseas tour as king: Indigenous sovereignty - an Indigenous senator shouted 鈥渢his is not your country鈥 to him in parliament, while protesters tried to present him with a 鈥渘otice of complicity in Aboriginal Genocide鈥 at several events and the country鈥檚 growing republican sentiment, which saw several state premiers decline to attend a welcome reception for the King of Australia
Still, after 30 engagements in 4 days, Australia鈥檚 PM dubbed it 鈥渉istoric,鈥 adding 鈥渢heir majesties met a range of extraordinary Australians who demonstrated the best of our great country.鈥
The Prince Harry of it all
Could we see Prince Harry make a surprise appearance in Ottawa? It鈥檚 highly unlikely, but that hasn鈥檛 stopped speculation we might see estranged father and son reunite under a maple leaf flag this week.
In the pro column: Harry鈥檚 new home in California is a mere 4,600 kilometres away, meaning Ottawa鈥檚 a much more geographically convenient staging point for a quick family reunion than usual.
There鈥檚 also the fact that Harry has just extended a very public olive branch, telling the BBC earlier this month: 鈥淚 would love reconciliation with my family. There鈥檚 no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don鈥檛 know how much longer my father has.鈥
And, Canada is literally common ground for these two men: Prince Harry held his Invictus Games in British Columbia earlier this year, and has spoken about how this country felt like a safe harbour when he and his wife Meghan left the U.K. in 2020. They鈥檝e also visited the country together: Back in 1998, the then-prince took his two sons skiing at Whistler while on a working holiday.

Prince Charles waves to the media and onlookers during a skiing vacation in Whistler, B.C. in March 1998 with his sons Prince Harry, left, and Prince William.
Nick Didlick/Vancouver SunIn the negative column: In that same BBC interview, Prince Harry claimed that his father 鈥渨on鈥檛 speak鈥 to him. At issue? The younger royal鈥檚 fight (now defeated) to get back the level of security protection in the U.K. that he lost when he quit being a working royal.
Not promising聽鈥 especially when the King鈥檚 packed schedule on this whirlwind visit, with no obvious gaps to squeeze in an emotional reconciliation, is factored in.
King Charles鈥 health

In this photo illustration, a selection of front pages covering the news of King Charles being diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer which was discovered as doctors treated the monarch for an enlarged prostate in 2024.听聽
Ming Yeung/Getty ImagesJet lag, a jam-packed schedule, and a high-stakes speech 鈥 it’s a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a 76-year-old. And King Charles is doing it all while undergoing cancer treatment.
Diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer that his doctors found when he went in for surgery to treat a benign prostate enlargement last year, the king has been in treatment since then. Unknown side effects of this treatment landed the monarch in the hospital for a 鈥渟hort period of observation鈥 in March.

Britain’s King Charles III and Britain’s Queen Camilla greet people outside the Colosseum in Rome, in April. The聽 four-day state visit to Italy came 10 days after Charles, 76, was briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.听聽
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty ImagesA testament to his reputation as a workaholic, he鈥檚 kept at the job throughout: He鈥檚 been on multiple overseas visits聽鈥 including one to Australia last fall, and even when his doctors kept him from public-facing duties early on his illness, he kept up state business and paperwork as usual.
The social media king
Don鈥檛 be surprised if you see the king stopping to take a selfie or three on this tour聽鈥 it鈥檚 the new royal normal in our social media age
Once upon a time, people waiting at the barricades would be lucky if they got a quick handshake and a 鈥淗ave you come far?鈥 In the era of Instagram and TikTok, however, the royals聽鈥 including later adopter Charles, who seems to have loosened up his personal protocol around his Australia tour last year聽鈥 will occasionally submit themselves to a selfie, and seem comfortable with having interactions filmed when they鈥檙e chatting at walkabouts.
Charles and Camilla in Canada

Charles and Camilla, then the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, in St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador on May 17, 2022.
Jacob King/Pool Getty ImagesThis is King Charles 20th trip to Canada. His 19th trip was in May 2022, four months before his mother died, so this also means it鈥檚 his first trip as monarch. His first trip to Canada was in 1970, where he landed in Ottawa before joining his parents and sister Anne in Manitoba.

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip and their children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne during the Royal tour of Canada in Yellowknife, N.W.T., in July 1970.
Daily MirrorQueen Camilla has made six official visits to Canada, starting in 2009 when she and King Charles landed in Newfoundland. She鈥檚 never come on her own, but on her trips with her husband she鈥檚 seen a breadth of the country most Canadians would envy: Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, British Columba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, PEI, Manitoba, Nunavut, Northwest Territories.
Which yes, means King Charles has visited every Canadian province and territory. Queen Camilla just has Alberta and Yukon left on her bingo card.
A whirlwind trip
King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to spend less than 24 hours in Canada.
And while this trip is particularly brief, it continues a trend of shorter and shorter royal tours. Charles and Camilla鈥檚 last visit to Canada in 2022, for example, lasted just two days. By contrast, when King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth visited in 1939 they stayed nearly a whole month and visited every province.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, 1939.听
International News PhotoThere are probably a few reasons for these abbreviated programs: Travel is obviously quicker, but our attention spans are also shorter, and social media means you can reach more local crowds with fewer walkabouts. At the same time, the royals appear increasingly conscious of not seeming overly burdensome of their host countries聽鈥 or the taxpayers who fund these visits via the governments who invite them.
King Charles, Queen Camilla arriving today
OTTAWA鈥擪ing Charles and Queen Camilla will touch down in Ottawa today to kick off an historic royal tour.
The trip marks the royals’ first visit to Canada since the King’s coronation two years ago.
When they land this afternoon, the royals will travel to Lansdowne Park, a large events venue in the heart of the nation’s capital, to meet with community members.
The King and Queen will then head to Rideau Hall to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Governor General Mary Simon, who acts as the representative of the Crown in Canada.
Carney has asked the King to read the speech from the throne on Tuesday, which sets out the government’s priorities for the legislative session.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau looks on as Queen Elizabeth II reads the speech from the throne in the Senate chamber, officially opening the session of Parliament in Ottawa on Oct. 18, 1977.听
The Canadian Press file photoThe event will mark the first time Canada’s head of state has opened Parliament since Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1977.
Here's what is on King Charles's itinerary
King Charles will drop a hockey puck, plant a tree and be escorted by 28 Mounties during his two-day trip to Ottawa 鈥 the first to Canada in his reign as monarch 鈥 where he is scheduled to open the 45th Parliament.
All eyes will be on the King and his wife, Queen Camilla, who will arrive Monday at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney, and against the backdrop of economic tensions between Canada and U.S. President Donald Trump.
King Charles is coming to Canada. Does anyone care?

King Charles and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their Coronation on May 06, 2023, in London.听 聽
Leon Neal/Getty Images/BESTPIXKing Charles聽arrives in Ottawa on Monday for a whirlwind visit to the largest of his 15 realms. It鈥檚 a strained time for the monarchy, riven with both聽cancer听补苍诲 controversy. Last year, the King and the Princess of Wales were both diagnosed with cancer, and the ongoing estrangement between Charles and his son Prince Harry shows no signs of a thaw. While the King may now cut a sympathetic figure, he鈥檚 never been beloved like his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who drew throngs by the thousands for decades.
Beyond the crowd that might gather at a barricade for the chance to shake a royal hand while they鈥檙e on a walkabout, does anybody really care that King Charles is in town?
Stacy Lee Kong, a 海角社区官网pop culture writer, says she definitely does not. While Kong has previously written critically about the Royal Family, she said there鈥檚 nothing about Charles right now that moves her to even engage. That鈥檚 partly because what she calls 鈥渢he promise of modernism鈥 sparked by Meghan Markle, a biracial woman, joining the royal ranks, hasn鈥檛 been fulfilled.
鈥淗e鈥檚 out of touch,鈥 said Lee Kong, pointing to the 2023 coronation. 鈥淗e鈥檚 dripping in gold and jewels, and it’s like, 鈥楽ir, now? At this moment?鈥 鈥 The same people who have always benefited 鈥 not just benefited but actively reshaped the world to benefit themselves 鈥 are still in power.鈥
This indifference, she added, isn鈥檛 inconsequential. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e an institution that has transitioned from actual political power to soft cultural power, it must be very scary to realize that your relevance is actually diminishing 鈥 and there鈥檚 not really a path forward because your brand-marketing succession plan is not really panning out,鈥 she said. 鈥淔or me, and maybe for a lot of people, there鈥檚 no part of this that is activating any kind of passionate response.鈥
Alyssa Ashton, a creative director and long-time Royal Family fan, feels differently.
鈥(King Charles) was in hospital not too long ago, and he鈥檚 maybe not feeling great, but he鈥檚 making this trek across the world to show how important Canada is as part of the Commonwealth,鈥 said Ashton. 鈥淚t鈥檚 made me go, 鈥極h Charles! What a sweetie you are.鈥欌

The King’s cancer diagnosis was announced in February 2024.
Ming Yeung / Getty ImagesStill, said Ashton, 鈥淭ruthfully, I would have preferred Will and Kate 鈥 for most of us that would have been more interesting. But I think that this is what the royals do best, this soft diplomacy. I would even say that this (visit) feels like more bold diplomacy.鈥
Ashton said that Charles鈥檚 visit 鈥 particularly his delivery of the throne speech in Parliament on Tuesday, the first by a monarch since 1977 鈥 will be particularly significant during this time of heightened Canadian patriotism ignited by U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 constant tariff threats and taunts of making Canada the 51st state.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure (Charles) will still get negativity, but because the throne speech will likely have some words about how Canada is a sovereign nation, I think it might create some rah-rah.鈥
A new poll suggests that support for the monarchy is on the rise, with saying it鈥檚 good for Canada鈥檚 sovereignty for King Charles to deliver the throne speech and only 22 per cent opposed.
Nathan Tidridge, a GTA high school civics teacher, who is also the vice-president of the Institute of the Study of the Crown, said that he believes this is the most important royal visit since 1939.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in this period of existential crisis, where Canadians are being asked to define their democracy and their sovereignty and the vehicle for that is we鈥檙e going to have the King read the speech from the throne,鈥 said Tidrige. 鈥淚 think a lot of Canadians will say, 鈥極h it鈥檚 symbolic,鈥 but it鈥檚 very important because it鈥檚 what our democracy is founded on, and it marks us as different from the United States.鈥

King Charles, seen here at the RHS Chelsea Flower show, in London on May 19, has long championed for protection of the environment.
TOBY MELVILLE POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesTidridge met the King when he was part of a delegation of the Mississaugas of the Credit that travelled to Scotland to meet the monarch in 2023. The prevailing impression he had, Tidridge said, is that of a man on a mission. He characterizes the King as more forward-thinking than younger generations might assume.
鈥淗e鈥檚 hit the ground running. His whole life, he was cutting edge for the environment. He鈥檚 the King that we need for these times 鈥 if we let him do it.鈥
King Charles sees rising support in Canada, poll suggests

King Charles III, left, holds an audience with Prime Minister Mark Carney at Buckingham Palace, in central London, on March 17, 2025.听
AARON CHOWN POOL/AFP via Getty IA Trump bump has turned the Crown frowns upside down.
As King Charles III gets set to deliver the Speech from the Throne Tuesday in Ottawa against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s bellicosity toward Canada, .
The Pollara Strategic Insights survey found Charles’ popularity has jumped since he ascended the throne in 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years.
More Canadians now support the country remaining a constitutional monarchy than becoming a republic with 45 per cent backing the status quo and 39 per cent wanting to abandon the Crown while 16 per cent were unsure.
That compares to a September 2022 Pollara survey that found 35 per cent wanted Canada to remain a constitutional monarchy with the King as its head of state while 44 per cent opposed that and 21 per cent of respondents weren’t sure.
“At a time when we’re looking for stability, there’s something stable that the institution offers and that’s the biggest reason we see that growth in support,” Dan Arnold, Pollara鈥檚 chief strategy officer, said Friday.
“In the face of Trump and chaos and everything else, there’s a certain degree of stability that the institution and the King himself offer,” said Arnold.
Indeed, that’s a major reason why Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Charles to deliver the throne speech that will outline the new Liberal government’s legislative agenda.
Such speeches are normally delivered by the governor general聽鈥 the last time a reigning monarch did so in Canada was in 1977 with Queen Elizabeth.
Pollara found the new prime minister’s move has been well-received with 48 per cent of respondents saying the King reading the speech is “good for Canadian sovereignty” while only 22 per cent felt it was bad and 30 per cent didn’t know.
“Certainly Carney is trying to position this as a counter to Trump annexation talk,” said Arnold, referring to the president’s comments that Canada should become the “51st state.”
“This (the monarchy) is obviously one of the connections Canada has in the world outside the U.S.,” the pollster said.
Using online panels, Pollara surveyed 3,400 people across the country from last Friday until Tuesday.听While opt-in polls cannot be assigned a margin of error, for comparison purposes, a random sample of this size would have one聽of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The King’s personal popularity is also on the upswing since the earlier poll聽鈥 45 per cent have a positive view toward him compared to 23 per cent with a negative view and 32 per cent unsure.
In 2022, 37 per cent had a favourable view with 33 per cent viewing him unfavourably and 26 per cent having no opinion.
Overall, his rating has climbed to plus 22 per cent from plus four per cent.
“That probably speaks to him putting some of the doubts to rest,” said Arnold.
“He certainly took over the role of monarch at a time when people were very down on him, given everything that happened with (his late ex-wife Princess) Diana and other controversies,” he said.
Arnold said the King’s very public fight with cancer, which has increased awareness of the need for people to get screened for the disease, has also left an impression on Canadians.听
“He’s managed to put some of the questions around him to rest for the people who were negative towards him.”
But not all Canadians want the country to remain a constitutional monarchy with a sovereign who lives in the United Kingdom.
Only 25 per cent of Quebecers support the Crown while 58 per cent want to end the monarchy.
“That’s the only area where this is potentially dicey for Carney. Other than Quebec, there’s not really any demographic or part of the country where there’s opposition to this,” said Arnold.
In Ontario, 54 per cent back the monarchy with 32 per cent opposed. Similarly in Atlantic Canada, it was 54 per cent in favour and 31 per cent against.
That compared to 52 per cent in favour in Manitoba and Saskatchewan with 32 per cent opposed.
Alberta, home to a smouldering secessionist movement, was 46 per cent in favour with 37 per cent opposed while British Columbia was 43 per cent in favour and 37 per cent against.
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