Royal couple wrap N.L. visit
Prince Charles delights crowd with unscripted mingling
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | 8:40 PM NT
CBC News
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, wave to fans on Wednesday after a three-day visit to Newfoundland and Labrador. (CBC) Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, paid their respects to Newfoundland and Labrador's veterans Wednesday morning by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in St. John's.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended several outdoor events in unseasonably-warm weather, prior to boarding a Canadian Forces plane to head to Ontario for the next stage of their 11-day visit to Canada.
The first event of the day saw the royal couple visit Government House, to meet with Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie and his wife, Jane, and to plant a tree on the government grounds.
A sombre ceremony, which included the presence of war veterans, a moment of silence, and the playing of God Save the Queen and the Ode to Newfoundland, followed at the nearby National War Memorial.
Prince Charles, accompanied by N.L. Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie, wearing a sealskin coat, greeted people on the grounds of Government House Wednesday. (CBC) When the ceremony ended, Charles and Camilla sparked a round of cheering from the crowd of a couple of hundred, who gathered under sunny skies and warm temperatures, when the royal couple left the area of the ceremony, walked across the street and started shaking hands and talking with local residents.
"Literally, he just cut right across the road," said CBC-TV reporter Melanie Nagy who was covering the event, "and you just saw the security detail scramble behind him, do a semi-circle behind him, as well as Camilla, but he wasn't fazed. The crowd loved it. He just made his way right down the line, just like a reception line, talking to all the crowd."
Before departing for Ontario, the couple also met with students, teachers and volunteers at a language training school in the city.
Just before 1 p.m. N.L. time, the couple boarded a plane to head to Toronto.
Charles and Camilla began their visit to Canada in Newfoundland on Monday. They've visited the oldest English settlement in Canada at Cupids and the historic Brigus home of Capt. Bob Bartlett, an Arctic explorer who led a trek to the North Pole in 1909.
Charles and Camilla arrived in Toronto by mid-afternoon, where they met with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
On Thursday, Charles and Camilla will visit Dundurn Castle and HMCS Haida in Hamilton before travelling to Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara College Teaching Winery. The couple will open the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair on Friday.
16th Canadian tour for Charles
This visit is Charles's 16th tour of Canada and Camilla's first official visit.
The royal couple's tour of the country comes at a time when a recent survey obtained last week by CBC News indicated that a majority of Canadians feel the constitutional monarchy is out of step with the times.
The visit also includes stops in British Columbia and Quebec.
In British Columbia, Charles and Camilla will visit Victoria and Vancouver beginning Friday. In Victoria, they will meet Premier Gordon Campbell at the legislature. In Vancouver, their tour will include a visit to the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic village on Saturday morning, a stop at a cancer care clinic and a seminar on sustainable development at Simon Fraser University.
During the last leg of the royal tour, the couple will visit Ottawa and Montreal. The couple will meet with Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Harper and Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff, followed by a meeting with Quebec Premier Jean Charest.
The couple's visit in eastern Ontario and Quebec will include the Cirque du Soleil and the Biodome in Montreal. The two will also be at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa on Remembrance Day and Rideau Hall for a tree-planting ceremony before departing on Nov. 12.
With files from The Canadian Press
