Notes from a 24-hour royal visit
'Swinging bayonets,' a 'riffles' brooch, and cries of 'We love you, Charles'
Sunbaked at the airport, bitten by mosquitoes at Rideau Hall, standing for hours outside the Senate — journalists get to see history made, depending on whether they’re in the right spot, at the right time but it can be a bit of a boring grind at times.
I was in Ottawa earlier this week to cover the 24-hour visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. First visits by a monarch are always noteworthy. This one was doubly so as it comes as Canada faces an existential threat to its sovereignty by Donald Trump wanting to annex our nation as the “51st state.” So there was a lot riding on what the King of Canada would do or say during his time in Ottawa.
As I wrote in February, a time would come when Charles was going to have to prove he was indeed the King of Canada. That time arrived during the Speech from the Throne. As he ended it:
I wish to express to you and to the people of Canada my heartfelt gratitude, and that of my wife, for the warmth of the welcome which we have received. As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!
I got media accreditation to cover the visit. But that didn’t mean I’d get a front row view of the royals. Often, most of the media at an event only get glimpses of the royals. Sure, there are usually exclusive areas reserved for the media, but if the royals go left instead of right, or are obscured by security, staff, and others, then there’s little we can do about those quirks of fate.
On royal visits to Canada, when there is a large contingent of media from around the world (I counted crews from two different Australian networks), then the media is split into two parts. There’s the majority who go into “open media positions,” such as the one I’m looking at when doing my interview in front of the Senate.
As well, there is a smaller “pool” of journalists, photographers, and videographers who get very close access to the royals, and then share their coverage with everyone else. In addition, members of the British royal rota (members of the media who report on the royals fulltime) often get to move around near the royals in a way that most Canadian media can’t — for the simple reason that they do it day in, day out.
In addition, the royals have their own communications staff, as does the Governor General, as does the Prime Minister, and the Canadian Armed Forces. Those folk also want to capture images. You can quickly see how an entourage can swell dramatically. There’s nothing like thinking your position is pretty good, then having it obstructed at the last minute.
Still, there are often times when you get perfect views of the royals and have the opportunity to chat with onlookers who have also waited for hours for a chance to see and perhaps interact with royalty. The crowds were large on this trip — and the weather cooperated with only a few drops of rain during the tree planting at Rideau Hall. And pretty much everyone was in a good mood. “We love you, Charles!” was a frequent refrain as the King greeted Canadians.
“You’re going to have to move,” boomed a sergeant at the media who had staked out spots on the small riser (a temporary metal grandstand with rows of seating) immediately in front of the Senate since access opened at 7:30 a.m. He was demanding that all the media be removed from the bottom two levels of the riser (I think it had six levels in total) for safety concerns.
“Why?” asked multiple journalists.
“Swinging bayonets,” was the terse reply. Then, he explained, as if sensing he needed to provide a bit more information to get the media’s cooperation.
The troops of the Royal Canadian Regiment would be marching and then standing immediately in front of the media position. As the soldiers were carrying guns with bayonets fixed onto the barrels, the sergeant was concerned that if anything went wrong — a soldier tripped or fainted — then the media could be injured by those sharp bayonets.
Everyone had to crowd even closer together in the higher levels of the media position. Yet, for all the last minute angst, we had a perfect view of the arrival of dignitaries, including the King and Queen in the state landau. To get a sense of how close the media was, consider that my photo of the King inspecting the guard of honour was taken from the second row from the top.
One of the problems with using a phone on a camera to take photos and video is that it can be hard to see precise details of an outfit. After the royal party had moved inside the Senate for the Opening of Parliament, the media left its position in the street to walk to the next, and final, stop: the Cenotaph. It was there that journalists looked at the description given of Queen Camilla’s outfit and were confused about the brooch’s origins. “What is the Queen’s Canadian Riffles?” one asked me, frantically searching for any reference to a regiment with that name. Luckily, I was pretty sure that “riffles” was a typo and that I knew the correct name of the regiment.
A look at a high resolution image confirmed my hunch: Queen Camilla was wearing the diamond regimental brooch of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (QORC), of which she has been colonel-in-chief since 2011, when she took over that role from Princess Alexandra, who had held it for 50 years.
Queen Camilla is very close to the QORC, which is the longest serving infantry regiment in Canada. I was a pool reporter during an engagement on their 2017 trip to Canada for the nation’s 150th anniversary. During a day in central Ontario, she met with members of the regiment and their families at CFB Trenton, about two hours east of the QORC’s home of Toronto.
“I couldn’t come to Canada and not meet you,” she told the assembled crowd as she thanked them for making the trek down the 401 to the large military base. They were clustered around small high tables, so she could easily walk from group to group. As I followed her around the reception hall, interviewing those she’d just talked to, I was struck by well she knew the regiment. At one point, she greeted an officer, then looked at his uniform, realized his rank had changed, and congratulated him on a promotion since she’d last seen him.
So, while I’d hoped to see her wear one of the magnificent Canadian brooches in her jewellery collection, the fact that she’d chosen to pin the QORC brooch to her navy blue dress makes sense given their last stop in Canada was the Cenotaph to honour Canada’s war dead. The brooch sends a signal that her connections to Canada are both long and deep.
Why I missed a week’s worth of newsletters:
May has been an intense month packed with multiple rolling deadlines, as I worked on advance pieces for the royal visit, as well as other work and volunteer obligations, which all had major deadlines or events this month, because OF COURSE THEY DID.
I’d hoped to put out a newsletter during the visit, but my days were so long, and my schedule so packed, that I didn’t have time. Add in a few other long-booked obligations (such is the life of a freelancer), plus driving five-plus hours to and from Ottawa, and I hope everyone can understand why today is the first day available to do some writing.
MY ANALYSIS
1. Ahead of the visit
Hello Canada: I wrote a piece about the pieces of jewellery that Queen Camilla for Hello Canada’s preview of the trip. It’s on newsstands. I’ll post a link once the article is online.
Toronto Star: I wrote an opinion piece for the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star evaluating what was at stake during this quick trip. (note: in Canada, the major weekend papers are published on Saturday)
“Time for Charles to prove his loyalty to Canada” (print title in the Saturday opinion section on May 24) or “King Charles’ visit could make or break the Canadian Crown. Here’s why” (online, as of May 26)
“I must be seen to be believed,” was a famous motto of the late Queen Elizabeth II. On May 26 and 27, Charles III fulfills that maxim when he opens Parliament on his first trip to Canada as its monarch.
“This historic honour matches the weight of our times,” is how Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the visit. This visit could be as significant as the first by a monarch when his grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, ventured from coast-to-coast on the eve of the last truly existential threat to this country: the Second World War.
Such is its timing that this visit is shaping up to be a turning point for Canada, its Crown, and its monarch. To be blunt, the reaction to those two days of pomp and protocol could make or break the Canadian Crown.
Globe and Mail: I talked to columnist Shannon Proudfoot for her Saturday, May 24, piece, “King Charles’s visit to Canada: A Commonwealth flex with an audience of one,” including:
“I think it’s a very deliberate way to say to the world — and Canadians as well — who we are and who we aren’t … That we are a constitutional monarchy, we are not a republic. The King of Canada is Charles III.”
The Telegraph: Before she got on the Royal Canadian Air Force plane for the flight to Ottawa, royal editor Hannah Furness talked for people, including me, about the trip for her piece, “King’s Canada visit is major test for the monarchy,” published on May 25.
“This is an existential threat to Canada,” she said of Mr Trump’s attitude to her country. “All Canadians understand the seriousness of this threat and importance of this visit.
“Everything must be done to show the King and Queen are coming to Canada, defending Canada’s sovereignty.
“People are going to be counting every word the King says. This is a turning point for the Crown – this trip really matters.”
Dale Smith (YouTube channel): I was on the parliamentary journalist’s podcast on May 21, for an episode called “The royal visit pre-show.” Dale is one of the leading journalists in Canada on issues related to the Crown so we had a lot to chat about. His book is The Unbroken Machine: Canada's Democracy in Action.
CBC Radio’s The House (radio/podcast): I and others were interviewed for the May 24th episode of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship political show, “Can the King stop Trump’s 51st state threats.” In addition, our comments were turned into an article published on the CBC site.
2. During the visit
In addition to being on Global television each day — for The Morning Show and Global News (videos are at the bottom of this newsletter) — I was writing about the visit for the Globe and Mail, including providing items for its extensive live blogs of the visit.
Tuesday, May 27: “It only takes moments to set the tone of a monarch’s visit” (print headline) or “For a royal visit to be successful, every hour and every minute counts” (online)
The Sovereign’s Flag for Canada hoisted from the cockpit of the Royal Canadian Air Force plane as it taxis to a stop in Ottawa? Check.
King Charles III wearing his Order of Canada pin on the lapel of his suit? Check.
Queen Camilla choosing a historic Canadian brooch? Check.
Monday’s itinerary and its carefully choreographed mix of official duties and relaxed informality were designed to generate the images that Canada and its monarch want to project to the nation and world – that King Charles III knows, understands and supports this country, its people and its issues.
Wednesday, May 28: “Charles and Camilla’s Canadian trip was steeped in symbolism” (Print) or “A royal visit steeped in symbolism” (online)
This visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which culminated in him opening the 45th Parliament and delivering the government’s Throne Speech, was put together at the last minute, fit into a busy section of the royal calendar, and was over 24 hours after it began.
It may have come as a response to serious political and economic threats from the United States, but the King’s first visit as Canada’s monarch displays notable symmetry with a more long-planned visit 68 years ago, when Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to Canada as monarch was also a brief stop in Ottawa to open Parliament.
3. After the visit
Those are still in the works. So stay tuned!
My latest on Global TV’s The Morning Show:
Monday, May 26 (ahead of the visit):
Tuesday, May 26 (A Global News wrap-up as the King and Queen are on the way to the airport at the end of the trip):
Wednesday, May 27 (after the visit):