Thousands of people gathered at Lansdowne Park on Monday afternoon, trying to
catch a glimpse of King Charles III and Queen Camilla
. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the royal couple made their way through the crowd. Some monarchists were waving Union Jack flags and the Canadian flag, chanting “God save the King.”
One of those monarchists is Rushad Thomas, who drove eight hours from Hyattsville, Md., to see the royals. Throughout the event at Lansdowne, he kept yelling out his love for the King and Queen.
“I’m here to show my support for Canada’s independence and sovereignty. And then I’m also here because I’m a huge royal watcher and monarchist, and love the Royal Family,” he told the Ottawa Citizen.
“This is not my first time seeing King Charles and Queen Camilla … I’m just here to show my support for the King of Canada as he makes his first tour of this country as sovereign.”
Sarah Anne Szabotoh
was in the crowd
holding both a Union Jack flag and a Canadian flag, and cheered as they left the horticultural building to head to Rideau Hall.
She is a big fan of the Royal Family, and she was excited to be part of history. The Union Jack flags were left over from a coronation party she hosted when King Charles was crowned.
“In this political climate, it’s so important that we’re here to support the Royal Family,” she said.
“We just love to see that Canadians are still in their hearts … I just want to say thank you for supporting Canada. Thank you for being a wonderful King and Queen. Thank you for all the charity that you support all around the world.”
The royal couple also shook hands and talked to Ottawa Farmers’ Market vendors.
“He’s quite charming,” said Alex Proulx of Purebread, a local business that has been selling sourdough bread in Ottawa for more than a decade.
“I was surprised when he reached out his hand to shake each of our hands. Same with Her Majesty Camilla.”
Andy Lofthouse, also of Purebread, said he and Alex had been up since midnight for the past three days to
prepare for the royal visit
.
“We’re very excited to have done this. We’re also very exhausted, and we’re looking forward to a well-earned rest, and then we’ll do it all over again in a couple of days’ time,” he said.
At Rideau Hall, more royal jubilance
When Charles arrived at the Rideau Hall grounds, the crowd of a few hundred erupted. They cheered at the end of the tree-planting ceremony, as the King of Canada raised his ceremonial spade.
It’s a spade that was used by Queen Elizabeth II back in 2010 during her royal tour in Ottawa. Fifteen years later, the crowd sang God Save the King to honour the next generation of Buckingham leadership.
Ahdithya Visweswaran is one of the youth counsellors on the youth council of the King’s Trust of Canada who met King Charles III after the ceremony. He says it was a special moment filled with adrenalin, especially since the King “immediately recognized his trust,” Visweswaran said.
“I have to say he has a really great memory,” Visweswaran said of the King. “He seemed to recognize and remember many of the folks within the organization.”
The King’s Trust of Canada is an offshoot of the King’s Trust in the United Kingdom that was created by Charles in 1976.
The organization is focused on helping Canada’s underemployed and unemployed youth by closing the skills gap, the experience gap and the network gap, Cynthia Thorburn, the interim CEO for the King’s Trust Canada, told the Ottawa Citizen.
The geopolitical and economic stakes couldn’t be higher, as
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to annex Canada
through economic force.
“With threats for our economy, young people are going to be disproportionately hit,” Visweswaran said. “For young people, everything that is economic uncertainty, it hits us in a lot more poignant way than perhaps other folks.”
After the visit, Visweswaran said he would journal and reflect on his interaction with the King of Canada.
“I’m going to have to really sit with it,” Visweswaran said.
Dave Henderson is a royal watcher and a supply teacher. Henderson, who is from Belleville, arrived at the Rideau Hall grounds five hours early to be present for what he describes as a historic event.
Henderson was at the coronation where he stood in the rain to watch the whole parade. He describes it as the highlight of his life, alongside seeing the King at Rideau Hall on May 26 and singing both verses of God Save the King with another royal watcher.
He describes this royal tour as filled with symbolism. He points to the maple leaf broach worn by the Queen, which belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.
“This is part of the symbolism that they excel at, little, tiny signs of support that, if you know what you’re looking for, are very meaningful,” he said.
“I think families can identify with that, because we all have our own family traditions and little keepsakes and things. Those mean a lot to families,” Henderson added. “And the Royal Family is part of the Canadian family. That’s why I think it’s important.”
Jennifer McCurdy-Vachon is a teacher from Orléans. She was at the ceremony on Parliament Hill when the Queen visited in 2010. With the royals back in town, it’s an opportunity McCurdy-Vachon couldn’t pass up.
For McCurdy-Vachon, the royal tour sends a message to the United States and the world that Canada is its own nation despite threats.
“It sends a message to not just the United States, but to the world, that Canada is, while part of North America, a completely different country,” she said.
Henderson agrees: “Having a visit like this at this time really drives the point home that we have our own institutions. And the King, the royal symbolism is everywhere if you look.”
