Royal tours of Canada

Royal tours of Canada by the Canadian royal family have been taking place since 1786, and continue into the 21st century, either as an official tour, a working tour, a vacation, or a period of military service by a member of the royal family. Originally, official tours were events predominantly for Canadians to see and possibly meet members of their Canadian Royal Family, with the associated patriotic pomp and spectacle. However, nearing the end of the 20th century, such occasions took on the added dimension of a theme; for instance, the 2005 tour of Saskatchewan and Alberta by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was deemed to be a vehicle for the Queen and Canadians to honour "The Spirit of Nation Builders." The couple's tour in 2010 was themed "Honouring the Canadian Record of Service Past, Present and Future." Official royal tours have always been vested with civic importance, providing a regionalised country with a common thread of loyalty.

The first member of the royal family to visit Canada was the future King William IV, who arrived on the country's east coast in 1786 while an officer in the Royal Navy. His niece, Queen Victoria, never came to Canada, but during her reign her son, the future King Edward VII, made the first modern Canadian royal tour: partaking in official engagements, meeting politicians and the public, and reviewing troops. There had been many invitations since 1858 for the reigning monarch to tour Canada, but in 1939 King George VI was the first to do so. During that trip, the King's wife, Queen Elizabeth, initiated the tradition of the "royal walkabout", though her brother-in-law, the former King Edward VIII, had often met ordinary Canadian people in 1919; as he said: "Getting off the train to stretch my legs, I would start up conversations with farmers, section hands, miners, small town editors or newly arrived immigrants from Europe."

Royal tours can take more than a year to organize. The planning is coordinated by the Canadian Secretary to the King. The regions to be visited are decided by a rotational formula. Modern tours have run with a theme; for instance the visit of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2010 was intended to highlight "the Canadian record of service—past, present and future"; themes are decided upon by the King's secretary together with the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Office of the Prime Minister.

18th century

1780s

As an officer in the Royal Navy, Prince William Henry (later William IV) was the first member of the Royal Family to visit Newfoundland Colony, the colony of Nova Scotia, and the Province of Quebec (later Lower and Upper Canada). William's first visit to the colonies was during his command of , a command he was given on 10 April 1786. Arriving in Newfoundland, William found himself involved in the civil and naval affairs of Newfoundland, with no permanent civil authorities, and the newly arrived Prince being the senior naval officer in the colony. During his time in Newfoundland, he presided over a court, and commissioned the construction of St. Luke's Anglican Church in Newtown. On 21 August 1786, he celebrated his 21st birthday on his ship in the waters off Newfoundland.

He eventually proceeded to the main base of the Royal Navy's North American Station, based at the Royal Naval Dockyards in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Although he received a royal reception upon his arrival to Halifax, it was later made clear he would receive no further special treatment, not already accorded to an officer of his rank in the Royal Navy. William visited Quebec in 1787, travelling as far inland as Cornwall. While there, he encouraged the United Empire Loyalists to settle the region that later made up Upper Canada. Near Cornwall, he also received a reception from members of the First Nations communities.

Following his visit to Quebec, William was stationed in the West Indies. Depressed over the departure of Horatio Nelson, who he befriended during his time in the Caribbean, he took HMS ''Pegasus'' to Halifax, without permission from the Royal Navy. William was ordered to winter in Quebec, although he would take his ship back to Britain, arriving in Portsmouth in December 1787.

William received his second posting to British North America in July 1788, as the commander of . He served in North America for another year, stationed in cities including Halifax.

1790s

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn became the second member of the Royal Family to tour the Canadian colonies, and the first to live there for an extended period of time. Stationed at Gibraltar in 1790, he requested to be transferred to the Canadian colonies, in an effort to avoid the extreme Mediterranean heat. Arriving in Quebec City in 1791, he came as the colonel for the 7th Regiment of Foot, a military unit garrisoned in Quebec. Shortly after his arrival, Edward was called upon by the Lord Dorchester, the Governor-in-Chief of the Canadas, as 40 First Nations chiefs travelled to Quebec City to complain about American border incursions. Taking advantage of Edward's princely status, the Governor-in-Chief presented the Prince to First Nations' chiefs proclaiming "Brothers! Here is Prince Edward, son of our king, who has just arrived with a chosen band of his warriors to protect this country," and subsequently named Edward as second-in-command of British forces in the Canadas.

Edward began to tour the Canadas in August 1791, departing from Quebec City to Montreal, Kingston, the Thousand Islands, and Newark-on-the-Lake. Edward returned to Quebec City in time to act as an observer for the election of the first Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, in Charlesbourg in June 1792. Edward is credited with the first use of the term "Canadian" to mean both French and English settlers in the Canadas. Witnessing a riot breaking out between two groups at the polling station, he entreated the public in French, "I urge you to unanimity and concord. Let me hear no more of the odious distinction of English and French. You are all His Britannick Majesty's beloved Canadian subjects."

With the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War, Edward was promoted to Major-General, and ordered to proceed to the Caribbean in January 1794. As the St. Lawrence River was frozen over for the winter, he was to travel overland to Boston, before boarding a ship bound for Martinique. In doing so, he became the first member of the Royal Family to enter the newly formed United States.

Following the West Indies campaign in the spring of 1794, he sailed for Halifax aboard . Arriving on 10 May 1794, he left the city in June to tour Nova Scotia, and the newly established colony of New Brunswick, visiting Annapolis Royal, and Saint John. He was later made the Commander-in-Chief of the Maritimes. During his time in Nova Scotia, he presided over the expansion of Halifax and improved the city's defences, primarily through his ability to secure funds from London. He also worked to improve communications between the Canadian colonies, creating the first telegraph signal system in North America, and improving mail service between Halifax and Lower Canada. Edward departed for Britain in August 1800, although he formally maintained his position as Commander-in-Chief of the region until 1802. In 1811, Edward sought to obtain the appointment as the Governor General of the Canadas, although failed to do so.

19th century

The 19th century saw the beginning of modern royal tours in the country, with travel becoming easier and faster due to technological innovations such as the steamship, and rail transports. The mid-19th century marked the final time a member of the royal family made a transatlantic crossing by sailing ship; as royal family members began to travel by steamship in the late-19th century. While travelling through Canada, multiple modes of transportation were used when touring within Canada, including rail, on foot, and various-sized water vessels.

1860 royal tour

On 14 May 1859, the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada petitioned Queen Victoria, and other members of the royal family to visit Montreal for the opening of Victoria Bridge. Unwilling to leave London in the hands of rivaling politicians, Victoria instead accepted the Canadian invitation on behalf of her son, Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). The Prince of Wales undertook a two-month tour of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the Province of Canada in 1860. The Prince of Wales' royal tour was used as the standard model for future royal tours for the next century.

Newfoundland, and Maritime colonies

The Prince of Wales reached St. John's, Newfoundland, on 24 July 1860, aboard HMS ''Hero''. The welcome reception the Prince of Wales received set the pattern for other welcome receptions during the royal tour, which typically included an official address at a levee, and a formal ball held in the Prince of Wales' honour. During his time there, he attended the St. John's Regatta, and was gifted a Newfoundland dog on behalf of Newfoundlanders.

Travelling from St. John's he arrived in Halifax on 2 August. While in Halifax, he visited the Prince's Lodge, the country home used by his grandfather, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn. From Halifax, the royal party boarded a train and stopped in Windsor, and Hantsport, where they boarded HMS ''Styx'' to cross the Bay of Fundy to Saint John. On 4 August, the Prince travelled through the St John River on the steamer ''Forest Queen'' to Fredericton. During his time there, he attended a royal reception, and inaugurated a park. Following his visit to Fredericton, he travelled to Pictou, Nova Scotia to board HMS ''Hero'', returning to several communities, including Saint John, and Windsor.

He landed at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on 10 August, where he was welcomed by George Dundas, the Governor of Prince Edward Island, and proceeded to Government House. There, he held audience with the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island. Along with formal ball and levee, the Prince toured the countryside around Charlottetown, and visited Province House, where he received an addresses from the Executive Council. Upon his departure, he left with the Governor £150 for charitable use.

Province of Canada

The Prince of Wales was formally welcomed into the Province of Canada by a Canadian delegation, who came aboard HMS ''Hero'' near Percé Rock. The Canadian welcome delegation consisted of the Governor General of the Province of Canada, Edmund Walker Head, and Joint Premiers, George-Étienne Cartier, and John A. Macdonald. Arriving in Quebec City on 17 August, the Prince knighted Narcisse Belleau, Speaker of the Legislative Council, and Henry Smith, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. During his time there, he also visited Montmorency Falls, and made an address at the Université Laval.

Following his visit to Quebec City, the Prince of Wales proceeded towards Montreal aboard HMS ''Hero'', joined by several members of the Legislative Assembly near Trois-Rivières. Arriving in Montreal, he took a specially-built open railway car to the Victoria Bridge in Pointe-Saint-Charles, and tapped in-place the final-laid stone for the bridge. During his five-day stay in Montreal, he stayed at the viceregal residence Spencerwood, and inaugurated the city's Crystal Palace, recalling the favourable impression made by Canadians at the Great Exhibition in an address to the crowd.

At Ottawa, the Prince laid the foundation stone of the parliament buildings, canoed on the Ottawa River, and rode a timber slide on the Chaudière Falls. Travelling towards Toronto aboard the steamer ''Kingston'', visits were planned for Belleville, and Kingston, although anti-Catholic demonstrators from the Orange Order prevented the Prince from disembarking. In an attempt to not embroil the Prince in a controversy, Henry Pelham-Clinton, the Under-Secretary of State who joined the Prince on his tour, informed mayors that they would not disembark until the demonstrators were dispersed. Sailing further west, the Prince visited Cobourg, Rice Lake, and Peterborough, where he received a reception from the Mississaugas. He then proceeded to Port Hope, re-boarding ''Kingston'' to sail on to Toronto.

During a levee in Toronto, the Prince received a delegation from Belleville and Kingston, tending apologies for the early incident. On 10 September, he took a one-day excursion to Collingwood, before returning to Toronto the following day. On his way back, he visited and received addresses from Aurora, Barrie, Bradford, and Newmarket. In Toronto, the Prince attended the Royal Canadian Yacht Club's regatta, agreeing to become its patron; and opened Allan Gardens, and Queen's Park to the public. He departed the city for London, Ontario on 12 September, visiting Guelph and Stratford on the way. From London, he travelled to Sarnia, in order to attend a gathering of 150 First Nations representatives in the Province of Canada. Following this gathering, he briefly returned to London, before travelling by railway to the Niagara Peninsula.

In the peninsula, he visited Brantford, Chippewa, Fort Erie, and Queenston. The Niagara Falls were illuminated for the first time during his tour of the falls. There, he rode on the ''Maid of the Mist''. At Queenston, he met with 160 War of 1812 veterans, dedicated a rebuilt Brock's Monument, and visited Laura Secord. From Queenston, he moved towards Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catherines, and Hamilton.

Completing his royal tour of the Province of Canada in late-September, the Prince of Wales departed for the United States from Windsor, Ontario. Taking a month-long personal tour of the United States, he travelled under the pseudonym "Lord Renfrew," in an attempt to not attract attention to himself. The Canadian co-premieres saw-off the Prince's during his departure from Canada, and again from the United States, travelling to Portland, Maine on 20 October 1860 to see the Prince off.

1861–1883

In 1861, Prince Alfred took a five-week tour of The Maritimes, Newfoundland, and the Province of Canada. While escorting Prince Alfred through Canada West, the Governor General of Canada used the opportunity to make sketches of American defences around the Great Lakes.

From 1869 to 1870, Prince Arthur was stationed in Canada as a British Army officer in the Rifle Brigade's Montreal detachment. Arriving in Halifax, he undertook a two-month royal tour of the colony of Prince Edward Island, and the newly formed Dominion of Canada, before returning to military duty in Montreal. In the same year, the Six Nations of the Grand River conferred the title of chief to Prince Arthur. In a formal ceremony, the chief of the three "clans" of the Mohawks received The Prince, and conferred upon him the name "Kavakoudge," meaning "the sun flying from east to west under the guidance of the Great Spirit." Although the title of chief was bestowed as an honorary title to a number of individuals, Alfred underwent the necessary rituals to formalize the title in Mohawk society.

During his time in Canada, Prince Arthur became the first member of the royal family to attend the opening of the Canadian parliament, in February 1870. Prince Arthur, along with his regiment, was present at the Battle of Eccles Hill, a raid conducted by the American-based Fenian Brotherhood, on 25 May 1870. The Prince was awarded the Canada General Service Medal for his participation in the Fenian raids. Returning to the United Kingdom in 1870, Prince Arthur would return to Canada on two more occasions, the latter visit as the Governor General of Canada.

Other members of the royal family were also in Canada as a part of their military service during the late-1870s and early-1880s. Prince Alfred was stationed at Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax from time to time between 1878 and 1883, as Commander of the Royal Navy's North Atlantic Squadron. Prince George of Wales (later George V) was stationed in the Maritimes in 1882 as a midshipman on HMS ''Cumberland''. During his time there, he drove the last spike into Newfoundland's first railway, the Harbour Grace Railway.

Princess as the viceregal consort (1878–1883)

In 1878, Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, requested the Marquess of Lorne be appointed the next Governor General of Canada, with his wife, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll serving as the viceregal consort of Canada. Disraeli's nomination of Lorne was largely motivated by his desire to see a member of the royal family reside in Canada for an extended period. Prior to his appointment as the Canadian Governor General, Lorne was virtually unknown to the public, with little concrete record of public service. The attraction for appointing Lorne to the office was having his spouse, Princess Louise, reside in Canada.

Arriving in Canada on 23 November 1878, the viceregal couple was greeted by Prince Alfred, who was serving as a Royal Navy officer, stationed in Halifax. Lorne was formally sworn in as the Governor General in Province House, Halifax, before they proceeded towards the capital, in Ottawa. Arriving in Ottawa on 2 December, the head of the Canadian ministry, John A. Macdonald, was not present at the viceregal welcome reception. Macdonald's absence from the welcome reception was depicted as a purposeful insult to the princess by the opposition Liberal Party. They proceeded to take a private trip to Niagara Falls in January 1879, before returning to Ottawa to open the 4th Canadian Parliament, on 13 February 1879.

They undertook an official tour of Eastern Canada from mid-May 1879, touring Montreal during Victoria Day, awarding prizes to officer cadets of the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston. On 9 June, they opened Terrasse Dufferin in Quebec City, and later laid the cornerstone of Porte Kent, gifted to the city from Queen Victoria. Following their tour of Quebec, they proceeded towards The Maritimes and Ontario. In Toronto, they opened the first Canadian National Exhibition, and attended the Queen's Plate. During their time in Ottawa, both Lorne and Louise worked towards the creation of a national arts association, establishing the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880.

On 14 February 1880 in Ottawa, Princess Louise was injured after her horse-drawn sleigh was turned over. Hitting her head on the metal frame of the sleigh, Louise suffered from neuralgia after the incident. The public was not made aware of the event, with the aide-de-camp to the Governor General downplaying the incident to the press. She did not make another public appearance until April 1880. While recovering, she was visited by her brother Prince Leopold. Louise and Leopold privately toured Quebec, Ontario, and the American city of Chicago until 31 July 1880, when both returned to the United Kingdom.

During Lorne's 1881 tour of the Northwest Territories, he proposed a section of the territory take its Alberta after his wife (whose full name was Louise Caroline Alberta). Similarly, Princess Louise was the one who proposed the name for Regina, from the Latin word for Queen.

Louise returned to Canada until 4 June 1882, although rumors of a Fenian plot against her forced her to remain in the Citadelle of Quebec, a military installation used by the Canadian militia, and the secondary residence for the Monarch, and the Governor General. On 30 August, Lorne and Louise set out for an official tour of British Columbia, visiting Victoria, and meeting with a First Nations delegation in New Westminster. Louise remained in Victoria as Lorne continued with the official tour into the British Columbia Interior. They remained in the province until 7 December 1882, with their tour extended to counter secessionist sentiments in the province, a result of the federal government's failure to produce a transcontinental rail link by 1881. Robert Beaven, the Premier of British Columbia was said to have suggested the province secede from Canada, and establish an independent kingdom with Louise as its Queen. The resulting crisis had spurred Lorne to push the Canadian government to hasten the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Louise was visited by another member of the royal family, Prince George of Wales, in April 1883. Shortly before the end of his fifth year as Governor General, Lorne declined an option to serve the position for another year. His decision to turn down an additional year in office was questioned by some, with Queen Victoria suspecting that Lorne was jealous of Louise's popularity with Canadians, in contrast to his own. The Marquess and Princess Louise concluded their term in Canada with a farewell tours in Montreal, and Toronto, leaving for the United Kingdom from Quebec City on 27 October 1883.

1884–1900

In 1890, Prince Arthur conducted another tour of Canada, arriving in British Columbia from his earlier service with the British Army in the British Raj. During this tour, he travelled east towards the Maritimes, primarily by railway, before continuing on to the United Kingdom.

Princess Marie Louise arrived in Canada in 1900 to tour the country, however controversy surrounding her spouse, Prince Aribert of Anhalt forced her to return to the United Kingdom shortly after her arrival. After Prince Aribert was found in bed with another man, his father, Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt, accused Marie Louise of indecency, claiming that his son was denied his conjugal rights. Marie Louise was at Rideau Hall when the Governor General gave her two telegrams instructing her to return to the United Kingdom immediately. Her marriage with Prince Aribert was annulled in December 1900, with his father using his prerogative as a reigning Duke of Anhalt to annul the marriage.

Early 20th century (1901–1950)

1900s

1901 royal tour

The first royal tour to take place since the death of Queen Victoria was conducted by the second son of the reigning king, Prince George, Duke of Cornwall and York (later George V), his spouse, Mary, Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary), and the Duchesses brother, Prince Alexander of Teck (later the Earl of Athlone). The tour in Canada formed a part of a larger eight-month royal tour of the British Empire that began on 16 March 1901, with the Duke and Duchess' departure from Portsmouth, United Kingdom.

The Canadian portion of the tour was originally planned to begin in British Columbia, proceeding eastward through the country. However, after South Africa was added onto the royal tour, the decision was made to begin to the royal tour in Quebec City, and conclude it in Halifax. As the period of court mourning for Queen Victoria's death had not yet expired during their time in Canada, public balls, banquets, and levees planned for the royal tour were cancelled, with only official dinners, concerts, receptions, and reviews taking place. During the tour, Prince George kept a methodical record of his activities, recording that he shook the hands of 24,855 people at official receptions; received 544 addresses; laid 21 cornerstones; gave 100 speeches; and presented 4,329 medals.

The Canadian portion of the 1901 royal tour began 16 September 1901, when the arrived in Quebec City. The royal partywhich consisted of 22 people, landed at Quebec City on 16 September. During his time in Quebec City, Prince George invested Lieutenant Richard Ernest William Turner with the Victoria Cross for his conduct during the Battle of Leliefontein in a ceremony at the Plains of Abraham, and spoke to students at the Université Laval. Moving west of Quebec City by railway, the group made stops to Montreal, and Ottawa. Throughout the royal tour, Prince George placed an emphasis on praising the creation, and expansion of the country during his own lifetime, giving a speech about the country's development and growth in Ottawa and Winnipeg.

In Ottawa, Prince George dedicated the Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa, rode a timber slide, and watched the lacrosse final for the Minto Cup, a match he enjoyed so much he kept the ball that was used. Departing from Ottawa, they passed through Ontario, creating "incredible excitement seldom seen since the visit of his father in 1860." The Duke and Duchess arrived in Manitoba where the former opened the new science building at the University of Manitoba

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