Charles, o Príncipe de Gales, e sua esposa, Camilla, a duquesa da Cornualha, are touring Canada this week.

A partir de Terra Nova e Labrador, eles viajaram para o Rio; then it’s on to British Columbia, Quebec, e, finalmente, para Ottawa. They’ll return to England on November 12.

Because Canada remains a constitutional monarchy, Rainha Elizabeth II is technically the Rainha do Canadá, the country’s official Head of State. Como herdeiro do trono britânico, o Príncipe de Gales is in line to become Canada’s official ruler.

If you’re a newcomer to Canada, particularly if you’ve come from the very non-royalist United States, you may be surprised by the degree to which the monarchy is alive and well north of the border. While the Queen’s role is largely symbolic, her portrait graces Dinheiro canadense e selos, e Canadian media covers a royal visit in minute detail.

Ainda Canadians have mixed feelings about their royal ties.

Embora o líder liberal Michael Ignatieff once famously dismissed the relevance of the monarchy with “Enough of this nonsense…,” um Sun Media enquete tomada na semana antes desta mais recente visita real descobriu que “support for dumping the monarchy stands at 45% nationally, enquanto support for keeping the Queen as our head of state is slightly lower at 44%.”

Regardless of your views on the monarchy, você pode get the complete itinerary for the royal visit here.

Fotografia © Carolyn B. Heller