The Cambridges’ Last Days in Canada

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have wrapped up their nine-day tour of Canada, and are now in the sunny state of California, the USA. Here’s a quick recap of their final days up north (previous blog entries can be found here, here and here).

Day six of the tour began in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, where the couple had arrived the previous night (July 4th). William and Catherine were officially greeted by Yellowknife’s Native Canadian elders and the NWT premier, Floyd Roland, during a ceremony at the Somba K’e Civic Plaza; before participating in a morning of cultural activities and sports. After all, what is a visit to Canada without some hockey? The Duke took part in a shot-out with the Yellowknife ice hockey team’s goalie, in which all of his shots went wide or high – one even shooting straight into the press pack. The Duchess, dressed in a creme three-quarter sleeve dress with taupe waistband sash designed by By Malene Birger (a Danish designer – for the first time on tour, Catherine was in a non-British/Canadian outift), declined an opportunity to take part herself, placing the blame on her LK Bennet heels, opting to drop the first ball to start the game instead. The couple then attended a session of Yellowknife’s Youth Parliament, before heading out to Blachford Lake on a seaplane. At the Lake, William and Catherine were made Honorary Canadian Rangers, complete with hooded jumpers bearing their names, during a meet-and-greet with the First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. They then canoed across the Lake, taking in the sights, with a NWT elder.

Wednesday, July 5th, was scheduled as a ‘private day’, but the royal couple made a last-minute announcement that they would be visiting fire-raved Slave Lake, Northern Alberta. The region was hit by wildfires on May 15th, and was left almost completely ruined. The Duke and Duchess spent around an hour and a half touring the area with the town’s Mayor, before meeting citizens of the town who have lost everything. Locals described the couple as warm and caring, thanking them for taking the time to visit the town.

The 6th came, day eight, and it was on to Calgary, where the Duchess had a wardrobe malfuncation during the welcoming ceremony at the Calgary International Airport – her yellow Jenny Packham dress unsuccessfully battled against the wind to keep its hem down throughout. The Duke and Duchess were welcomed by the normal dignitaries, who presented them with white cowboy hats in a ‘White Hatting’ ceremony (an Albert tradition), and one special six-year-old. Little Diamond Marshall was chosen as the flowergirl for the ceremony, after writing to the Canadian Children’s Wish charity asking to meet “Princess Kate”. The six-year-old, was diagnosed with undifferentiated sarcoma (childhood cancer affecting soft tissue) in February, threw her arms around the Duchess in a hug before presenting her with a colourful bouquet and a friendship bracelet. The pair chatted for a few minutes, before being joined by the Duke.

That evening, the couple visited the site of the Calgary Stampede, where they watched on as children took part in a pre-show before the following day’s official opening. A reception with Prime Minister Stephen Harper was held afterwards, where Prince William revealed that he and his wife would definately “come back to Canada” in the future.

Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess officially opened the Calgary Stampede Parade, both wearing their custom-made stetsons (they broke them in the night before), denim jeans and shirts. The two-hour long parade tickled the royal visitors’ funny bones, especially the Duchess’, as they enjoyed themselves throughout the event which features marching bands, horses and floats. A quick change into something more formal (a red Catherine Walker coat-dress for the Duchess, paired with the Queen’s Maple Leaf brooch), and it was off to the Calgary Zoo, for a reception where it was revealed the Alberta Government has set up a scholarship to mark the royal tour – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Scholarship. A walk-about outside the zoo took place, before the couple boarded their jet and headed to the US.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Canada, Culture, Fashion, Natural Disaster, Official Visit, Sport, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge.

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