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According to the Star鈥檚 coverage of the visit, which occurred as Canada and the U.S. were disputing the sovereignty of Arctic waters, the Queen said in an address that 鈥渢houghtless meddling and ill-conceived exploitation is just as bad as wanton destruction.鈥�

On Monday, Charles, in his first visit to Canada since his ascension to the throne, faced similar realities: he is a figure some associate with this country鈥檚 colonial past, now tasked with uniting a nation facing troubling challenges inside and outside its borders.

On Parliament Hill, First Nations leaders called on the King to respect their relationship with the Crown, and to reflect on treaty obligations as separatist sentiment simmers in corners of the country.

鈥淭he Crown must honour that this sacred relationship continues today regardless of constitutional change or national division,” said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson in a statement.

Meanwhile, at a tree-planting ceremony on the grounds of Ottawa鈥檚 Rideau Hall, the King was greeted with renditions of “God Save the King” and “O Canada” from onlookers bedecked with Canadian flags.

The purpose of the King’s visit is to open Canada’s 45th Parliament by delivering the Speech from the Throne on Tuesday. It will be the first time in nearly four decades that such an event has occurred: Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1957 and again in 1977.

But before he enters the Senate floor, the King spent the first hours of a whirlwind, two-day trip joking with students who awaited his arrival at Ottawa鈥檚 airport, dropped a ceremonial puck at a street hockey game, chatted with food vendors at a local market, and held audiences with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Indigenous leaders.

His wife, Queen Camilla, was also sworn in as a member of the King鈥檚 Privy Council for Canada, a largely ceremonial body that advises the King on Canadian affairs.

Some of the hundreds who turned up to catch a glimpse of the royal pair spent several hours beneath the Ottawa sun, waiting for their moment.

Deborah St. Jean, who lined up behind a gate at Lansdowne Park for two hours, reminisced to the Star about how she and her mother had done the same for Queen Elizabeth in years past.

St. Jean said she was hoping to pass the family tradition down to her daughter and her grandchildren, Oliver and Cillian, who skipped school to see the King and Queen.

Julian Wilson, from Rolling River First Nation in Manitoba, said he showed up to acknowledge the 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥� between the Crown and Indigenous people, and to honour his mother, who also enjoyed following the monarchy.

鈥淚鈥檓 here kind of spiritually for her,鈥� he said, 鈥渟o she can see through my eyes, hopefully, and see what I see.鈥�

For others, the King鈥檚 presence offered a balm in contentious times.

鈥淗is mother, the Queen, was the same way,鈥� said Annie Coulter.

Several onlookers said the King鈥檚 visit sent a strong message of sovereignty in response to U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 annexation threats.

鈥淚 think Donald Trump is jealous that we have the King,鈥� said Anne Senkowski, who shook Charles鈥� hand.

鈥淚t was very special. Once in a lifetime.鈥�

But the King鈥檚 arrival was also met with indifference and frustration.

鈥淚t disturbs me that Canadians think that strengthening our ties with the monarchy actually protects us from outside threats,鈥� said Tom Freda, the director of Citizens for a Canadian Republic.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand how having a British monarch here exemplifies our Canadianness,鈥� Freda added.

In West Block, Interim NDP Leader Don Davies told reporters he heard from Canadians that 鈥渋nviting a hereditary monarch, who is the head of state of a foreign country is not necessarily the best way for a modern democracy to express its independence and sovereignty.鈥�

Later in the afternoon at Lansdowne Park, a group in the crowd that included a man draped in a Trump 2024 flag, held a sign that read 鈥淐harles is not my King and neither is Mark Carney.鈥�

And in the days preceding Charles鈥� trip, signs papered on lampposts popped up in downtown Ottawa, lambasting the royal family鈥檚 wealth and calling on residents to 鈥渞eject鈥� the King鈥檚 trip due Britain鈥檚 role in the 1947 Partition of India and its deadly aftermath.

Not everyone, however, was searching for meaning in the King鈥檚 visit.

Big Leung, an Australian visiting the capital to see her sister, said she upended her plans for the day to see the Royals.

鈥淎ll my friends (were) pushing me: 鈥榊ou have to come here today, at least take a photo or say hello,鈥欌�� she said, before the King’s arrival.聽

鈥淚 have a heavy responsibility.鈥�