Royal visits to Canada encyclopedia topics

18th century

Year(s)	Persons	Locations visited	Reason(s)
1786-1787	Prince William (later William IV)	Maritimes Province of Quebec: Quebec City	As part of a Royal Navy contingent
1791-1798	Prince Edward	Nova Scotia: Halifax Province of Quebec (Lower Canada after 1791)	Served as Commander-in-Chief of North America
1799-1800	Prince Edward, Duke of Kent	Nova Scotia: Halifax	Served as Commander-in-Chief of North America

19th century

Year(s)	Persons	Locations visited	Reason(s)
1860	Albert Edward, Prince of Wales	Nova Scotia: Halifax, various other towns United Province of Canada: Quebec City, Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Sherbrooke, Ottawa, Almonte, Brockville, Arnprior, Kingston, Toronto, Collingwood, Paris, Brantford, Dunnville, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Queenston, Niagara Falls, Windsor	Two month tour
1861	Prince Alfred	Maritimes United Province of Canada: various towns and cities	Five week tour
1869-1870	Prince Arthur	Quebec: Montreal, Aylmer Ontario: Ottawa, Pembroke	Based with the Rifle Brigade
1878 - 1883	Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh	Nova Scotia: Halifax	Commander of the Royal Navy's North Atlantic Squadron
1878 - 1883	Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll and John Campbell, Duke of Argyll	Quebec: Montreal, Quebec City, other towns Ontario: Ottawa, Toronto, other towns Northwest Territories: Winnipeg, other towns	Served as viceregal couple
1880	Prince Leopold	Quebec: Quebec City, Montreal Ontario: Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls, various other towns	To visit his sister and brother-in-law
1882	Prince George (later George V)	Nova Scotia: Halifax Quebec: Montreal, Quebec City Ontario: Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls	Served as a midshipman in the Royal Navy
1890	Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught	Maritimes Quebec: Montreal, Quebec City, various other towns Ontario: Windsor, Toronto, various other towns Manitoba: Winnipeg Northwest Territories: Calgary British Columbia: Victoria, Vancouver

20th century

21st century

Year(s)	Dates	Persons	Locations visited	Reason(s)
2000	6/4-6/6	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex	Quebec: Montreal
	6/25-6/27	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex	British Columbia: Vancouver
	7/16-7/18	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex	Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown, Fanningbank, Indian River, New Annan, Borden-Carleton, Cavendish Nova Scotia: Halifax Quebec: Montreal	To attend events for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Canada - Young Canadians' Challenge, attend performance of Emily Confederation Centre of the Arts, visit Rodd Brudenell River Resort, attend concert at St. Mary's Church, visit Cavendish Farms processing plant, visit Gateway Village, attend federal dinner at Delta Prince Edward Hotel, visit to All Souls' Chapel, attend luncheon at Government House, visit Confederation Birthplace Commemorative Park, attend official opening of the 39th annual Canadian Branch Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, attend reception with delegates and families at Fanningbank
	9/28-10/1	Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Ontario: Toronto	To be invested as Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's York Rangers, attend events for Round Square
	11/23-11/26	Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Katharine, Duchess of Kent	British Columbia: Vancouver	To attend the dedication ceremony of the Waveney lifeboat White Rose of Yorkshire
2001	1/26-1/27	Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Ontario: Toronto	To visit a former Chaplain at Lakefield College School
	4/25-4/30	Charles, Prince of Wales	Ontario: Ottawa, Toronto Saskatchewan: Regina, Moose Jaw, Assiniboia, Saskatoon Yukon: Whitehorse, Mayo
	8/2-8/5	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex	Alberta: Calgary	To attend the 8th IAAF World Championships
	10/19-10/21	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Ontario: Toronto	To present Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, attend events for the World Wildlife Fund
	10/19-10/21	Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Katharine, Duchess of Kent	Ontario: Toronto
2002	3/13-3/24	Prince Michael	Ontario: Toronto, Windsor Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton British Columbia: Vancouver, Victoria	To undertake duties as Colonel-in-Chief of the Essex and Kent Scottish
	6/21-6/25	Prince Michael and Princess Michael	Ontario: Toronto	To attend the Queen's Plate
	10/4-10/15	Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	New Brunswick: Fredericton, Sussex, Moncton Quebec: Hull Ontario: Ottawa, Toronto, Oakville, Hamilton Manitoba: Winnipeg British Columbia: Victoria, Vancouver Nunavut: Iqaluit	To celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee
	9/5-9/8	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex	Ontario: Toronto	To attend events for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award
	9/20-9/24	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex	Ontario: Toronto, Ottawa	To attend events for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award
2003	5/6-5/12	Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Ontario: Toronto British Columbia: Vancouver	To visit with the Queen's York Rangers, meet with trustees at Lakefield College School, turn the sod for the new mental health building of the British Columbia's Children's Hospital, visit the Regent Park Duke of York Public School, present Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, attend the Children Circle of Care Conference
	6/12-6/17	Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Ontario: Toronto British Columbia: Victoria	To visit Lakefield College School, attend lunch with the Empire Club of Canada, visit the Greenwood School, visit Lester B. Pearson College
	6/18-6/25	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex	Saskatchewan: Regina, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, Prince Albert	Centenaries of Regina, Moose Jaw and Lloydminster, open cultural centre, open the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College facility at the University of Regina
	7/31-8/6	Prince Michael and Princess Michael	Manitoba: Kenora	Centenary and re-opening of the Lake of the Woods Yacht Club, opening of the Leo Mol garden
	8/29-9/1	Anne, Princess Royal	Ontario: Kingston, Ottawa	To visit with the Canadian Forces Communications and Electronics Branch, perform charity work
2004	4/26-4/27	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Ontario: Toronto	To attend the 40th Anniversay Gala for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award
	6/4-6/8	Anne, Princess Royal	Ontario: Toronto Saskatchewan: Regina	To attend ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of D-Day, visit the Royal Regina Rifles, visit the Monarchist League of Canada, attend the Commonwealth Study Conference
	10/13-10/18	Prince Michael	Ontario: Windsor	To open new joint Windsor Armoury and Police training facility
2005	May	Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Saskatchewan: Regina Alberta: Calgary	Centenary of the entry of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation
2006		Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex	Ontario: Toronto, Peterborough Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia	To visit the Monarchist League of Canada, attend events for the Ontario Heritage Trust
2006		Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Ontario: Toronto, Peterborough, Lakefield	To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Canadian Canoe Museum
2007		Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Nova Scotia: Halifax Ontario: Cambridge, Toronto
		Anne, Princess Royal	Saskatchewan: Regina, Yorkton, Saltcoats	Centenary of the Royal Regina Rifels, open the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Centre, attend a demonstration by the Parkland Therapeutic Riding Association, celebrate the 125th anniversary of the settlement of the Yorkton, attend Regina's Freedom of the City Parade, meet with First Nations elders, and attend Saskatchewan Youth Awards gala
		Prince Henry	Alberta: Calgary, Medicine Hat, CFB Suffield	To train with Canadian Forces soldiers for a tour of duty in Afghanistan
2008	5/10-5/11	Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Ontario: Peterborougn	To open a display at the Canadian Canoe Museum
2008	6/5-6/9	Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex	Ontario: Toronto, Kingston, Aylmer, St. Thomas, Niagara-on-the-Lake Manitoba	To participate in a number of events on behalf of various charitable organizations

Transportation

Up until the middle of the 20th century ships and trains were used for royal and vice-regal tours of Canada, with cars being employed for shorter routes and ceremonial processions.

The Governor General was supplied with a railway car, named Victoria for use in traveling around the provinces. Until the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the party would have to travel through the United States to reach the western parts of Canada. For the 1901 tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, two railway cars were specially built to serve as a moving household. One, named Cornwall served as the day car, with a reception room panelled in Circassian walnut with blue and gold Louis XV ornament and fitted with a piano, as well as a dining room painted in a Watteau style. The other car, York, contained the bedrooms. All together the royal train consisted of ten cars. In 1904 a new Vice Regal car was constructed, named Alexandra, which was used as the primary VIP transport by members of the Royal Family, Governors General, and the Prime Minister through to the 1920s.

Members of the Royal Family would voyage from the United Kingdom to the east coast of Canada at Halifax or Saint John, or transit the Saint Lawrence River to Quebec City; from one of these ports they would then embark on a train for overland journey. The ships used were either commercial or military; for their 1939 tour, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth traveled across the Atlantic on the Canadian Pacific ship RMS Empress of Australia for the westbound voyage, and on the RMS Empress of Britain eastbound. After the completion of HMY Britannia in 1954, Royal Family members could travel to Canada from whatever part of the globe they were in, and, after the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, could take the Royal Yacht into the Great Lakes. Until 1959 Royal Trains, operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the federally-owned Canadian National Railways, was used to transport Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh across the country.

The Royal Yacht was decommissioned in 1997 and last sailed in Canadian waters in the summer of 1983 when it carried Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The Royal Family has been mostly transported since the 1960s aboard the Canadian Royal Flight, originally using a CC-137 Husky and currently using a customized CC-150 Polaris flown by crews of 437 Transport Squadron, based at 8 Wing, Trenton, Ontario. 437 Squadron is part of the Air Transport Group, who, along with 412 Squadron in Ottawa, are charged with flying the Royal Family, the Governor General, and other VIPs. Members of the Royal Family occasionally use commercial aircraft, such as when Queen Elizabeth II used a British Airways Concorde. Air Command helicopters and other aircraft are used where needed for shorter flights during segments of visits.

Footnotes

Bibliography

Fleming, Rae; The Royal Tour of Canada: The 1939 Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth; Lynx Images; 2002 (ISBN 1894073371)
Radforth, Ian; Royal Spectacle: The 1860 Visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada and the United States; University of Toronto Press; 2005 (ISBN 0802086993)