Why King Charles III is giving an unusual address in Canada

King Charles III is visiting Canada to make a clear statement: Canada is its own country, separate from the United States.

This visit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the U.S. should take over Canada. In response, new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Charles to give the speech from the throne on Tuesday. This speech will present the government’s plans as Parliament begins a new session.

Charles is Canada’s head of state, as the country is part of the British Commonwealth.

“Canada has a steadfast defender in our sovereign,” Carney said earlier this month when announcing the visit.

Why is Charles coming to Canada?

It is very rare for the monarch to give the throne speech in Canada. Queen Elizabeth II did it only twice in her 70-year reign, with the last time being in 1977.

Most Canadians don’t have strong feelings about the monarchy, but Carney wants to show how Canada is different from the U.S. He believes the king’s visit sends a strong message about Canada’s independence.

While the U.S. had a revolution to break away from Britain, Canada stayed a colony until 1867. It has remained a constitutional monarchy with a system similar to Britain’s.

“We’re different,” said former Quebec Premier Jean Charest. “We are not the United States. It sounds simple, but that’s what the visit says.

“We don’t have the same institutions. We don’t have the same history,” Charest added. “We are a different country with a different choice in terms of how we built ourselves, and King Charles tells that story.”

This will be Charles’ first trip to Canada as king. He visited the country 19 times when he was a prince. In recent months, he has shown his support for Canada, such as wearing Canadian military medals during a visit to a Royal Navy ship.

Historian Robert Bothwell said the king’s speech in Parliament “is a gesture of solidarity and identity that can be construed to be a gesture of support.”

However, the new U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said there’s no need to send messages.

“We’re thrilled that the king will be here. If there’s a message in there, you know, there’s easier ways to send messages. Just give me a call. Carney can call the president at any time,” Hoekstra told CBC. “But I know what the implication is. It’s, oh about … the 51st state, it’s over. And, you know, move on.”

What is the speech from the throne?

This speech outlines the government’s plans for the new session of Parliament. It is not written by the king or his advisors in the U.K. Instead, the Canadian prime minister and his team prepare it.

The king will read what is given to him. Normally, this role is performed by Canada’s governor general, who represents the monarch in Canada and mainly performs ceremonial duties.

“King Charles is unlikely to comment directly on the 51st state issue. Yet, his introductory remarks could feature broad statements about Canada’s integrity and sovereignty. At least this is what many Canadians would like him to do,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Former Canadian prime ministers and governors general will attend the event. After the speech, the king will honor fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial, followed by a Royal Canadian Air Force flyby.

How might Quebec react?

Béland noted that the monarchy has never been very popular among Quebec’s French-speaking population. Some in the province have criticized the Carney government for inviting the king to deliver the speech.

“Whether the separatists work themselves into a lather over this frankly, I don’t care. I don’t think Quebecers will care a lot,” said Charest, Quebec’s former premier. “They may not like the monarchy or whatever they’d like to read into it, but British institutions have served us very well.”