The Queen is the first ever British monarch to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, which marks 70 years of service. Her son, Prince Charles, and the Duchess of Cornwall have made special arrangements leading up to wider summer celebrations, as they’ll be going on a Canadian tour in May.
The news was announced on Twitter by Clarence House, which tweeted, 'To mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Canada in May.'
According to Clarence House, the Commonwealth country is the 'most visited country by the Queen during her reign' and Prince Charles has been visiting as far back as 1970. The last time Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles were there was in 2017, when they celebrated Canada Day, laid a wreath at a memorial and met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
They are set to visit Newfoundland, Labrador, Ottawa and the Northwest Territories while there.
Photos of the couple and the Queen visiting Canada in the past were shared by Clarence House on Twitter. One showed Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall sitting before a row of Canadian flags, as well as shaking hands with fans at an event.
Other vintage photographs depicted a much younger Prince Charles on one of his earlier visits, as well as photos of Queen Elizabeth and the late Prince Philip waving from a convertible to crowds.
On a previous visit to Canada, Prince Charles said, 'It is, as always, a special joy to be back in Canada again - a place that is very dear to us both. We are always made to feel so much at home in Canada and are greatly touched by the warmth of your welcome.'
The visit follows Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Jamaica in March, which was also a part of Jubilee plans. However, their visit was met with protests over the week with the Jamaican Advocates Network organization calling for an apology from Britain and slavery reparations – writing in an open letter they 'will not participate in your Platinum Jubilee celebration.'
While there, Prince William said in a speech 'the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history' and expressed 'profound sorrow,' stating he agreed with Prince Charles' previous remarks about slavery while visiting Barbados last year. Barbados, which remains a Commonwealth country, has since removed the Queen as its head of state and became a republic in November. Jamaica will remove the Queen as head of state this year.
The Queen is the longest reigning monarch in British history and officially celebrated her Jubilee on February 6, marking 70 years of service. A bank holiday weekend celebrating the occasion is scheduled for June 2-5, which will include events including Trooping the Colour, a special mass at St Paul’s Cathedral and a live concert staged at Buckingham Palace.
