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MONTREAL — This week’s Royal visit marks King Charles’s first visit to Canada since his coronation two years ago. But the King is no stranger to the country, having visited all provinces and territories during official visits dating back more than 50 years. Here’s a timeline of those visits.
1970
Charles, then Prince of Wales, lands in Canada on July 3 for his first official visit to Canada. The 21-year-old begins with a solo two-day visit of Ottawa before joining the queen and other members of his family for a 10-day trip to Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.
1975
Charles makes an 11-day visit to Canada that includes stints in Ottawa and the Northwest Territories. Shortly after the official visit, he spends more than a month in Canadian waters onboard the HMS Hermes, as a navy helicopter pilot.
1976
Charles, along with his parents and brothers, make a quick visit to the Montreal Olympics where his sister, Princess Anne, was competing in equestrian three-day eventing.
1977
This Alberta visit saw Charles don a cowboy hat to attend the Calgary stampede. He also attended a commemoration of the signing of Treaty 7 at Blackfoot Crossing.
1979
This solo April visit included stops in Victoria, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa.
1980
This visit, described as “semi-official,” included stops in Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria, and included meetings held in his capacity as president of United World Colleges.
1983
This trip marked the first official visit of Charles and his wife Diana, Princess of Wales. The visit, stretching a full 18 days, included stops in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, PEI and Alberta, where they opened the World University Games in Edmonton.
1986
Charles and Diana visit in April and May for a trip to British Columbia, where they spent time in Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops and Nanaimo, and opened the Expo 86 world fair in Vancouver.
1991
This trip marked the first official visits to Canada by Prince William and Prince Harry, who joined their parents for a weeklong trip to Ontario with stops in five cities.
1996
Charles, who was now separated from Diana, made a solo trip to Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba for a seven-day visit.
1998
On this visit, Charles was joined in British Columbia by his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, which combined official engagements in Vancouver with a private Whistler ski trip.
2001
This visit by the Prince of Wales included a visit to Yukon, where he met Junior Canadian Rangers and Indigenous elders. Other stops included Ottawa and several communities in Saskatchewan.
2009
The November visit marked the first official visit to Canada by Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall. The couple visited Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, where they were met by protesters. The visit included a stop at the Winter Olympics village in Vancouver and a backstage tour of Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal.
2012
This four-day trip centred around the queen’s Diamond Jubilee and saw Charles and Camilla stop in several New Brunswick communities as well and Toronto and Regina for a visit that “highlighted service as both an enduring royal value of Her Majesty and the Royal Family as well as an intrinsic Canadian value,” according to the official itinerary.
2014
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall toured parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba. The itinerary included Victoria Day celebrations in Charlottetown, speaking with military veterans in Nova Scotia, and meeting Hudson the polar bear in Winnipeg.
2017
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall marked the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation with a visit that kicked off in Iqaluit, Nunavut, before taking them to Ontario’s Prince Edward County and culminating with Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill.
2022
The most recent royal tour took place in May 2022, during which the soon-to-be-King and Queen visited St. John’s, N.L; Ottawa; and Yellowknife and Dettah, N.W.T. The tour, undertaken to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, focused on themes of Indigenous reconciliation and the environment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
