


King Charles III arrived in Canada on Monday for his first visit as the country’s head of state amid increasing tensions with President Donald Trump over making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
During the highly anticipated two-day visit, Charles is expected to deliver the “Speech from the Throne” and mark the start of the new session of parliament, outlining Prime Minister Mark Carney’s agenda and pointing to the differences between the U.S. and its northern neighbor.
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The speech is usually given by the monarch’s Canadian representative, also known as the governor general, rather than the monarch himself. Charles’s mother and the previous British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, delivered it twice during her nearly 70-year reign — the last time she did so was in 1977.
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Carney’s office previewed the speech on Monday, saying it would “outline the government’s ambitious plan to act with urgency and determination, and to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve,” according to CNN.
Since he was elected, Carney has repeatedly insisted that Canada will not submit to Trump’s threats to annex the country and make it part of the United States, a notion that is expected to be emphasized during the king’s visit.
“The prime minister has made it clear that Canada is not for sale now, is not for sale ever,” Ralph Goodale, Canada’s envoy to the United Kingdom, told reporters last week. “The king, as head of state, will reinforce the power and strength of that message.”
Since taking office, Trump has pestered Canada with proposals to transform the nation into the “cherished 51st state.”
His taunts have been aggravated by hefty tariffs leveled by Washington on Canada over uneven trade deals and a failure to stop drug and migrant trafficking across the U.S.’s northern border.
During a visit to the White House earlier this month, Carney rebuffed the president’s proposals, insisting that Canada is not for sale and asked Trump to stop calling Canada the “51st state.”
“Well, if I may, as you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” Carney told Trump. “Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it’s not for sale.”
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“Never say never,” Trump replied.
The king is expected to return to the United Kingdom on Tuesday following the speech. He was also scheduled to meet with community organizations, attend a tree planting, and visit Canada’s National War Memorial during the trip, according to the Associated Press.