OTTAWA — King Charles will drop the puck at a road hockey game and visit an Ottawa farmers market next week during his first visit to Canada since his coronation.
People in Ottawa will get multiple chances for a glimpse of the King and Queen during their short trip to the city.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government have invited the King to formally open the new session of Parliament on Tuesday as Canada's head of state.
This will be the third time a monarch has presided over Canada's throne speech, after Queen Elizabeth did so in 1957 and during her Silver Jubilee in 1977.
The visit is being presented as a symbol of Canada's close ties to the monarchy at a time when the U.S. president has threatened Canadian sovereignty.
Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor at Carleton University and an expert in the monarchy, said the moment is right for such a visit.
"(It's) really meant to highlight that our institutions are long-standing, that we are different, that our sovereignty still matters," he said.
Lagassé pointed out that Donald Trump is an admirer of the Royal Family and the U.S. president was particularly pleased to be invited by King Charles to an unprecedented second state visit in London.
Lagassé also said it "misses the point" to suggest that the royal visit is meant to shore up Canada's relationship with the United Kingdom.
"That office is still the highest office of our state, and at a time when the very existence of our state is being questioned, it's useful to have a very powerful symbol like that," he said.
"It's rare that Canada gets to employ the Crown in this way."
King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in the national capital on Monday, May 26, in the early afternoon.
Their first event that is open to the public will be a community gathering at Lansdowne Park, where the royal couple is expected to greet onlookers and visit a farmers market starting at 1:50 p.m.
The King is also set to drop the puck for a road hockey game at Lansdowne.
Canadian government officials who briefed reporters on background said the event is meant to be festive and that people will be able to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.
There will be extensive security around all of the events on Monday and Tuesday. The officials said there likely will be road closures around the downtown as well.
Government officials also said a Canadian doctor will travel with the King and Queen — a standard precaution. The King has been undergoing cancer treatment for more than a year.
Later Monday, the King and Queen will travel to Rideau Hall for a tree-planting ceremony — a traditional feature of royal visits — around 2:50 p.m.
Inside Rideau Hall, the Queen will be sworn in as a member of the King's Privy Council. Officials said Prince Philip was also a member of Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council in Canada.
On Tuesday, King Charles will read the Liberal government's throne speech inside the Senate chamber.
The day will begin at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday with a parade along Wellington Street.
The Royal couple will travel in the state landau — a horse-drawn carriage — from the Bank of Canada building to the Senate, escorted by members of the RCMP musical ride.
At the Senate building, King Charles will inspect an honour guard before a 21-gun salute.
The public is allowed to attend the parade but there will be traffic restrictions and security in place along the route.
The speech from the throne, which sets out the government's priorities at the start of a new session of Parliament, is typically presented by the Governor General as the Crown's representative. King Charles is expected to read the speech in both official languages.
Guests invited to hear the speech in the Senate chamber will include members of Parliament, former prime ministers and governors general, current Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and lieutenant-governors from across the country.
The Supreme Court of Canada justices are also invited to attend, along with Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed and Métis National Council President Victoria Pruden.
The day's ceremonies will include First Nations drummers, a Métis fiddler and an Inuk elder lighting a ceremonial fire.
The speech itself is set to get underway at around 11:10 a.m. and will be broadcast and livestreamed.
Carney told reporters last week that having the King present the throne speech is a "historic honour that matches the weight of our times" and underscores Canada's sovereignty.
The royal visit will end with a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to return to the United Kingdom on Tuesday afternoon.
Carney met with King Charles in London during his first overseas trip as prime minister in mid-March. Charles also met with outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau two weeks earlier.
At the time, royal watchers noted that Buckingham Palace had been ramping up its subtle symbolic support for Canada.
The King met with the Usher of the Black Rod, a senior Senate official, and offered him a new ceremonial sword. He also wore Canadian military honours and planted a red maple on the palace grounds at events in March.
The King's role is non-political and Buckingham Palace has said it will not comment on the trade war or Trump's calls for Canada's annexation.
Charles has visited Canada 19 times in the past — most recently in May 2022 to mark Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, when he was still Prince of Wales.
The last time the sovereign was on Canadian soil was 2010, when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Ontario.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
