[By Guancha Observer Network, Wang Yi] From May 26 to 27 local time, King Charles III of the United Kingdom will visit Canada for the first time as head of state. During this period, he will attend the opening ceremony of the new session of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa and deliver the Speech from the Throne, which is the first time in 48 years that a Canadian monarch has delivered a speech at this ceremony.
In response to former U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs on Canada and his threat to make it the 51st state of the United States, scholars have stated that King Charles III hosting the parliamentary opening ceremony is a "symbolic expression" that indirectly conveys the message "don't interfere" without explicitly telling Trump, but with an implicit meaning.
Politico Europe believes that this is the British Royal Family openly expressing support for Canada, as King Charles III is mobilizing all the soft power at his disposal to support this country. The British king will not let Trump win easily and seize his coveted "51st state."
According to publicly available information on the Canadian government website, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit Canada from the morning of May 26 to the morning of May 27. During this whirlwind 24-hour visit, they will participate in community activities and meet with Canadian officials.
Canadian Government Website
One of the highly anticipated events is that King Charles III will preside over the opening ceremony of the 45th Canadian Parliament and deliver the Speech from the Throne. BBC reported that the late Queen Elizabeth II performed this duty twice in 1957 and 1977, but after Trump threatened to make Canada the 51st state of the United States, Charles III's visit to Canada and delivering the Speech from the Throne was seen as a sign of standing together with Canada.
The draft of the Speech from the Throne is usually written by the Canadian government and read by the Governor General as the representative of the monarch, aiming to indicate the government's legislative priorities. BBC predicts that the speech personally delivered by King Charles III will convey a message, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized earlier when he visited the White House, that "Canada is not for sale."
The Washington Post cited analysts as saying that such a parliamentary opening ceremony will have particularly rich symbolic significance, indicating that Canada is different from the United States, with its own history, traditions, and system of government.
"This shows that Canada has higher authority: it is the Canadian king, not the American president," said Craig Prescott, author of Modern Monarchy. Hosting the parliamentary opening ceremony is a "symbolic expression" that does not directly tell Trump "don't interfere," but implicitly conveys this meaning.
Canada is one of the Commonwealth countries and still recognizes the British monarch as its head of state. The Canadian government views King Charles III's visit as clear support from the British Royal Family, and Prime Minister Trudeau called the king's trip a "sovereignty message."
Since former President Trump began issuing threats against Canada last December, people have constantly reminded the British king of the role he should play as head of state of Canada. King Charles III has also cautiously expressed his support for Canada through actions.
According to Politico Europe's summary, King Charles III's support for Canada includes: In February, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Canadian flag, he described Canada as a "resilient and compassionate nation" on social media; In March, he wore a bright red tie during a meeting with newly appointed Prime Minister Trudeau; In April, during his visit to Italy, he referred to himself as the "King of the United Kingdom and Canada"; In May, at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of World War II in Europe, he mentioned that "the British and Canadian armies played a key role in the war"; On May 20, he visited Canada House in central London to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
On May 20, UK King Charles III visited Canada House. Video screenshot
However, the report also pointed out that King Charles III needs to balance carefully during this visit to Canada to ensure satisfaction from both the Canadian and British governments. While Prime Minister Trudeau is clashing with Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is courting the United States by inviting Trump for a state visit, which Trudeau clearly stated makes Canadians unhappy.
Both the UK and Canada are constitutional monarchies, and as heads of state of both countries, King Charles III needs to act according to the advice of the British government. However, when he speaks as King of Canada, he listens to the advice of the Canadian government. Caroline Harris, a royal historian and lecturer at the University of Toronto's Continuing Education College, said this would put the king in a "delicate diplomatic situation."
In addition, King Charles III's visit to Canada may reignite discussions about whether Canada should become a republic. A poll conducted in 2023 showed that a record 63% of Canadians believe it is time to reconsider Canada's relationship with the monarchy.
The Washington Post reported that some Canadian republican advocates welcome King Charles III's arrival, but they question how having the king host the parliamentary opening ceremony can demonstrate to the world Canada's "sovereignty, independence, and self-governance."
Tom Freda, head of the Canadian Republican Citizens Organization, said that inviting King Charles III to host the parliamentary opening ceremony "confuses many of us," but "we will accept it, and we believe it helps our cause, which is the most important thing."
This article is an exclusive article by the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508695393955086874/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author. Please express your attitude by clicking the "like/dislike" button below.