An American monarchist, kids playing hooky and even a few boos: King Charles wraps up a whirlwind visit to Canada

OTTAWA — When Rushad Thomas heard earlier this month about the upcoming royal visit to Ottawa, there was no debate about whether an eight-hour road trip was in the works. Sporting a ball cap with a maple leaf logo, a watch with Queen Elizabeth II’s image on the face and a phone screen with the image of King Charles III, the Hyattsville, Md., resident explained while waiting this week for a glimpse of the royal couple that he’s a big fan of all things Canada and the Crown. The self-described monarchist and his partner, Terence Hayden, even have a photo of the King and Queen hanging in the foyer of their apartment. “I love Canada and the monarchy,” said Thomas, even though he has no familial connection to either Canada or the United Kingdom. Thomas said he even follows Canadian news and heard about the royal visit while watching Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first press conference after the federal election in April. “Nothing royal gets past me,” he joked. Carney and others in the federal government hope that Thomas isn’t the only American who hears about this week’s royal visit. The whirlwind visit to Ottawa by King Charles and Queen Camilla was designed to send a signal to U.S. President Donald Trump and others in Washington, D.C., that Canada is a sovereign country and, as Carney and many other Canadian politicians have said in recent months, not for sale. King Charles was invited to deliver Tuesday’s speech from the throne, but also provided a clear reminder and symbol that Canada has its own history and political culture. The couple’s two-day visit was their first since King Charles assumed the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. The visit also marked the first time a monarch has read the speech From the throne in the Canadian Parliament, instead of the Governor General, since 1977. Trump has upset and helped unite Canadians as he threatened his northern neighbour with frequent references to annexation and debilitating trade tariffs. Thomas said he likes to follow Canadian news as a respite from all the “nonsense” going on these days in his own country. Many of the thousands who lined downtown Ottawa’s barricaded streets Monday and Tuesday for a glimpse of the Royal Couple also appreciated their effort in crossing the Atlantic to send a message of solidarity with Canada at a much-needed time. “It’s sad. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Ottawa resident Lee Winchester, a member of the Royal Canadian signal corps and a veteran with both United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, of the recent threats against Canada. “It’s destroyed a good relationship.” While one of the key tenets of the monarchy is staying out of politics, the Royal Family has had centuries to practice the delicate balance of staying pertinent by sending timely signals, while officially staying out of politics. The royal couple’s visit to Ottawa, at an important time for an important and loyal member of the British Commonwealth, was a classic example of the former. Prior to Tuesday’s throne speech, the monarchs travelled to the Senate in Canada’s State Landau, drawn by horses of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Upon arrival, the couple received full military honours, including a royal salute, a 100-person guard of honour from the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment and an inspection of the guard. They later took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial. While most onlookers were clearly Royal Family supporters, not all were. As the carriage carrying the royal couple and the governor general travelled in front of Parliament Hill toward the Senate building, the crowd erupted in cheers or chants of “God save the King.” But the loudest sounds came from the boos from the crowd when a small group of anti-government Freedom Convoy holdovers carrying a trifecta of flags representing “Trump 2024,” “U.S. Truckers” and the Canadian flag upside-down walked by. “It was so satisfying to hear,” one nearby attendee said of the boos after the small group of protesters had passed. “We get booed a lot, so we’re used to it,” the flagbearer — who is seen near-daily in front of the Prime Minister’s Office holding various anti-government and conspiratorial signs — later told National Post. Ottawa resident Katie admitted that she pulled her daughters out of school to attend the historic visit. “I’m a college teacher, so I have the flexibility to do this and I can sort of make it a lesson as well,” said the English literature teacher. Her daughter Frances, 11, said the King’s health was top of mind when asked why she wanted to be in the crowd. “I heard he had cancer and it’s really important to see him because he might not be here for too much longer,” she explained. “We never got to see Queen Elizabeth in person and that was really sad.” Asked if they were more excited at the prospect of seeing the King or the Queen, Frances and her sisters Emma and Agnes pointed to the King. “He’s on the dollar,” they explained. On Monday, the first day of the trip, the Royals were welcomed at the Ottawa airport by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and Indigenous leaders. They then travelled to Lansdowne Park to browse a farmers’ market and drop the ceremonial puck at a road hockey game, before moving on to the Governor General’s residence for a ceremonial tree-planting. Kimberly Campbell, a resident of Perth, Ont., said it was “unbelievable” that she was among the few in the Lansdowne Park crowd to get a chance to speak to the Royals. Her mother, Gwen Campbell, also from Perth, said she’s been following the Royal Family all of her life. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” Kyle White, co-owner of Milkhouse Farm Dairy in Smiths Falls, Ont., one of the dozen or so vendors who agreed to set up a special Monday farmers’ market for the royal visit, said he was viewing the event as a “promotional day” but was also conscious of the importance of the event. “It’s going to be something that we can talk about at dinner parties for a long time,” said White. When asked what he would do if one of the Royals wanted to make a purchase but only had British currency on hand, White joked that he would try to provide a “reasonable exchange rate.” National Post, with files from Christopher Nardi Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

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