Gov. Gen. Mary Simon announced Monday that Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will come to Canada as part of a three-day royal tour commencing Tuesday..It is the couple's first visit to Canada in five years..This will be the 19th time the Prince has visited Canada and the fifth for his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall..Robert Finch, the head of the Monarchist League of Canada, says the tour — in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee — couldn't be better timed.."We're just coming out of a pandemic that's taken its toll on all of us, and we're in the midst of more uncertainty economically, geopolitically," Finch said in a phone interview with the National Observer.."It's nice to get those things that are kind of positives and the things that celebrate and bring people together.".The royal tour will include stop-offs in Newfoundland and Labrador, the National Capital Region and the Northwest Territories..“This visit is a chance for us to showcase the evolution of our country, our diverse and inclusive society, as well as the resilience of Indigenous communities," reads a statement from the office of the Governor General of Canada..Monarchists and republicans all say the visit will be a test of Charles's ability to charm the Canadian public at a time when the monarchy is under close public scrutiny, the Prince Andrew sex scandal being a case in point..Pollsters have suggested that support for the monarchy in Canada has been on a steady decline in recent years..In April, an online poll by Angus Reid surveying a sample of 1,607 Canadians found that 51% agreed the country should drop the Queen’s role as head of state. This compares with 26% who thought she should remain in the role..Finch isn’t taking it too seriously that the polls suggest Canadians are ready to abandon the monarchy.."Republicanism is just not — in my view — a winning proposition, and if it were, one of the major political parties in the country would have adopted it," he said to National Observer..Finch did say this tour could be one of the most important royal visits to date in part because of the nation’s preoccupation with indigenous reconciliation and healing..Prince Charles also has the opportunity to cement his role as future king at a time when Queen Elizabeth II is winding down her public engagements..The first stop for the royal couple on Tuesday is in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The following day the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Ottawa..On the last day of their Canadian royal tour, Prince Charles and Camilla will travel to the Northwest Territories to visit Yellowknife and Dettah.
