Canada has been a significant part of King Charles III’s life for over 50 years, and as he assumes the role of king, he will have to develop a new relationship with the country. During his previous visits, the prince emphasized Canada’s importance, officially and privately, with family visits and brief stopovers while in the military.
Last year, while still Prince of Wales, Charles opened a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in Rwanda’s capital and used Canada’s commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ reconciliation as an example for the world to follow. In May 2022, he visited Canada again as part of the celebrations of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, focusing on climate change, literacy, and reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples.
Prince Charles expressed his deep sorrow for the sufferings of Indigenous people and acknowledged their pain during the visit. Royal experts, however, say that King Charles faces the daunting task of establishing himself in a country that has become skeptical of the monarchy, which has been so inextricably linked to his mother in the minds of many Canadians. King Charles is believed to have made a point of ensuring that Indigenous people are invited to his coronation, but his speeches stopped short of issuing an apology for the wrongs committed against them.
Nevertheless, Charles’s visits to Canada have covered significant issues, including climate change, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and Inuit language and culture preservation. The coronation ceremony is expected to include more people from all walks of life, female bishops, and faiths other than the Church of England. King Charles’s first months on the throne have shown that he is an active monarch and is ready to engage with the public, but he still has work to do to win over skeptical Canadians who, according to a survey, have expressed their indifference to the King, with only 13% of the surveyed population having a personal attachment to the monarchy.
By: Mr. Lucas Bravo
Author
