Ottawa monarchist ready to accept Prince Charles as king

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When Prince Charles and Camilla arrive in Ottawa on Wednesday, it is his last visit as a Welsh prince and could be his last visit as a king man.

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Queen Elizabeth II appeared in a surprising public place on Tuesday when a new subway line opened in London, but turned 96 on April 21 and gradually reduced her duties. Last week, it was Charles who gave the throne speech to hold the British Parliament for the first time in her 70-year reign.

Opinion polls show that support for monarchy is declining in Canada, but Ottawa’s royal watchers say Charles is ready for the day to become king.

“He has been the longest apprentice to join anyone in history. He is certainly ready for work,” said Mary Detro of the Canadian Monaquist League.

“I point out what His Majesty said to those who are a little hesitant about Charles and Camilla.” When your son Charles became king, you told him and the Royal Consort Camilla that you were always to me. Full support, as you gave me. “

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Detro was a young girl when Elizabeth became Queen. She vividly remembers taking classes at Connaught Public School on the day George VI died.

“I was in the second year of middle school, and my homeroom teacher, Mr. Carlyle, was very sad that the King had died. She woke us all up, stood beside the desk, and silently prayed for a minute. remember.”

If 73-year-old Charles becomes king, he will be the oldest person in history. Formally, he will be Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and his other territorial and territorial kings, federal leaders, and defenders of the Faith.

He will also be the head of state of Canada, like the Queen herself. It doesn’t go well with the majority of Canadians. In a late April poll by Angus Reid, 55% of Canadians believe that a constitutional monarchy should be maintained under Elizabeth, while only a few support it under Charles. It was shown to be 34%.

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But changing the system is not only nearly impossible, but it’s also a mistake, says Kevin MacLeod, a former Canadian Secretary of the Queen of Canada and a former Senate Blackrod guide.

“Most people don’t distinguish between a crown as a symbol and a crown as a political institution,” he said.

“And one of the problems is that there is no civic education in high school. If you ask the average Canadian,’What is the power of the crown? What is its role in Congress? I think the answer is “I don’t know.” Still, people are giving their views on the future. “

Macleod said the role of sovereigns today is very different from what it was 100 years ago. And the Queen treats her work as a Canadian queen is quite different from doing her work as a British queen or other territory.

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Paradoxically, the authors of the US Constitution have granted presidential authority modeled after George III of the United Kingdom. Authority to appoint members of the Cabinet. And the power to engage in illegal wars — the power that has long been stripped of the British monarchs.

“I sometimes laugh when people say that the United States chooses the new George III every four years,” MacLeod said.

“But those powers have been deprived of the crown. Under the constitutional monarchy, our system has evolved and kept pace with society. People are very much in the sense of our identity. It’s a shame that we are willing to make decisions about the underlying institutions, which is one of the things that helps us to differentiate us from our southern cousins, “he said.

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“One of its great strengths is its weaknesses. It works so well behind the scenes that people don’t understand the fact that it’s there.”

The royal couple were to arrive in Ottawa on Tuesday night after spending a day visiting Newfoundland and Labrador.

In Ottawa, Prince Charles will be invested as a temporary commander The laying of a wreath at the National War Memorial following the Order of Military Achievement in the morning.

The couple will also visit the Assumptions of the Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Byron Avenue and the Assumption School of Banier before seeing a special presentation of the RCMP Musical Ride.

They will also meet with the Prime Minister and Governor before attending the Platinum Jubilee reception at Rideau Hall on Wednesday night.

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The couple departs Thursday morning on the final day of their Canadian tour in the Northwest Territories.

This visit is Prince Charles’ 19th trip to Canada and Camilla’s 5th trip. Notable trips in the past are:

1970: First trip to Canada when Charles travels to the Northwest Territories with his father, Prince Phillip, and his sister, Princess Anne.

1983: Charles travels to Primorskaya with his then-wife, Diana, and the Welsh princess.

1986: Charles and Diana attend Expo ’86 in Vancouver.

1991: Charles and Diana come to Canada with their sons William and Harry to commemorate the boys’ first trip abroad.

2009: Charles and Camilla visit Canada for the first time.

2017: Charles and Camilla attend a festival on the Parliamentary Hill of Canada 150.