Чарльз, Принц Уэльский, и его жена, Камилла, Герцогиня Корнуолла, are touring Canada this week.

От Ньюфаундленд и Лабрадор, they traveled to Ontario; then it’s on to British Columbia, Квебек, и, наконец, в Оттаву. They’ll return to England on November 12.

Because Canada remains a constitutional monarchy, Королева Елизавета II is technically the Королева Канады, the country’s official Head of State. Как Наследник британского престола, the Принц Уэльский 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 Канадские деньги и марки, и Canadian media covers a royal visit in minute detail.

Тем не менее, Canadians have mixed feelings about their royal ties.

Хотя Лидер Либеральной Михаил Игнатьев once famously dismissed the relevance of the monarchy with “Enough of this nonsense…,” a Вс Медиа опрос принято в течение недели перед этим самым недавним королевский визит обнаружили, что “support for dumping the monarchy stands at 45% nationally, в то время как support for keeping the Queen as our head of state is slightly lower at 44%.”

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

Фото © Carolyn B. Хеллер