The British monarch, who is Canada’s official head of state, is coming at a moment when President Trump has threatened the country’s sovereignty.
After Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne seven decades ago, a newly elected Canadian prime minister invited her to make her first visit as monarch to perform a formality — delivering the speech that officially opens Canada’s Parliament.
The prime minister, John Diefenbaker, hoped the symbolism of her 1957 trip would help revive the monarchy’s profile, which had begun fading after World War II. (When Canada was formed in 1867, it retained many ties to Britain, including adopting that country’s monarch as its own sovereign and head of state.)
Now, another newly elected prime minister, Mark Carney, has asked King Charles III to follow his mother’s lead by traveling to Canada, his first visit to the country since he ascended to the throne in 2022, to open its Parliament.
Mr. Carney’s invitation is also driven by symbolism. But this time, the royal visit is a symbol of Canadian sovereignty and the country’s distinct heritage from the United States, at a time when President Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state.
“Canada has a steadfast defender in our sovereign,” Mr. Carney said this month when he announced the king’s visit.
The trip was hurriedly arranged when Mr. Carney visited Britain days after leading the Liberal Party to victory in a federal election. Despite the brevity of the king’s trip — he will spend two days in Ottawa, arriving Monday and departing Tuesday — there will be no shortage of pageantry and pomp.
