It’s Official: The Cambridges are Going to Canada, But What About George and Charlotte?

A fall tour of Canada for the Duke and Duchess was confirmed today by Canadian and British governments. The initial announcement came from Canada’s Governor General, David Johnston:

Once again, Sharon and I will be delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada,” said His Excellency. “Their Royal Tour will take them to the beautiful province of British Columbia and the scenic territory of Yukon. Our true Canadian pride and spirit will shine and be at the very heart of this visit so they can feel at home.”

The couple first visited Canada in 2011, when they were newlyweds. Below, celebrating Canada Day during that trip.

©Robin Nunn/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

The Governor General’s release was followed by the official Kensington Palace statement:

‘They hold very happy memories from their visit in 2011 – their first overseas tour as a married couple. They are really looking forward to seeing other parts of this beautiful country and having the opportunity to meet many more Canadians along the way.’

Kate in the ‘Cecile’ dress by Montreal-born designer Erdem Moralioglu for the official welcoming ceremony in Canada.

Canadian Heritage

After the first two announcements Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments were released.

“We are delighted by the Governor General’s announcement that Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will visit Canada this fall.

During their stay, the Duke and Duchess will travel to British Columbia and Yukon on a visit that will showcase some of Canada’s finest natural beauty.

The locations the couple will visit are on Canada’s western edge. Below, an effort to visualize where the Cambridges were in 2011 and the two general areas where they are expected to be this autumn. In 2011 the couple’s visit included Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife, Slave Lake and Calgary.

Today British Columbia’s Premier Christy Clark compared the upcoming tour to other milestone events, via The Vancouver Sun:

“Like the Olympics, Women’s World Cup, Expo 86 and other international events, the royal tour will focus global attention on B.C. and showcase everything British Columbians take pride in, from our unmatched natural beauty to our thriving, diverse communities,” Clark said in a statement.

There were plenty of social media posts about the news. Governor General David Johnston’s Twitter post.

Governor General of Canada

The Kensington Palace tweet.

Kensington Palace

And the Palace’s Instagram post.

Kensington Palace Instagram

Combined with a traditional news release online. 

Royal.UK

The Governor General’s office has already launched an online component for the Tour, it includes a place to send messages to the Duke and Duchess.

Governor General of Canada

The topic generating the most online chatter about the tour: will Prince George and Princess Charlotte accompany their parents across the Atlantic? According to The Telegraph it looks like a go.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are widely tipped to be taking both children overseas on official duties for the first time as they recreate their honeymoon tour of Canada.

George was just 9 months old when traveling to New Zealand and Australia with his parents for the spring 2014 tour.

James Whatling / Splash News

More on the possibility via Victoria Murphy’s story in The Mirror:

No mention of the royal children was made in their official announcement today…However, the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invited “William and Kate and family” to visit and as things stand, George will one day be Canada’s King.

….sources have not ruled out the possibility that he and Charlotte will both join them on this trip. However, as with children anything can happen, their attendance is unlikely to be confirmed until much closer to the time.

If they do go along, the family is likely to travel with their largest entourage yet including royal nanny Mario Borrallo.

William, Kate and George arriving in Sydney, Australia.

Andrew Parsons/i-Images/Polaris Images

The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English’s shared this on Twitter:

Rebecca English, The Daily Mail & Mail Online

As always, we’ll keep you posted on any updates.

©Andrew Parsons/i-Images/Polaris

Patricia Treble notes in her article for Maclean’s Canada that the tour will generate enormous interest, whether the children are along or not.

Regardless, it is bound to be a spectacle. In 2011, more than a 1,000 media representatives were accredited on the tour. If anything, interest is even keener today. Though the autumn colours should make for beautiful pictures, whether the weather will cooperate is anyone’s guess. While B.C. can be quite temperate, depending on the area, the Yukon is in the Arctic.

The expectation is for a late September and/or October visit. Below, average temps for the Territory as calculated by WeatherSpark.

WeatherSpark.com

More on the interest in the Trudeaus and Cambridges from a Toronto Globe and Mail story:

Any public event featuring the two families would stand to make headlines around the world…. the Trudeaus are relative newcomers on the international stage, but have quickly gained a worldwide following after a series of planned and impromptu photo-ops.

Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Grégoire Trudeau have been featured in international publications like Vogue and Paris Match, and created a stir during official visits to countries like Japan, giving them an unusual reach on the world stage.

Below you see the Prime Minister with his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, and their children, Ella-Grace, Hadrien and Xavier. This is shortly after Mr. Trudeau’s swearing in last November.

©Raffi Kirdi/Polaris

The couple with HM at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, also in November of last year. (With apologies for the fact the picture isn’t terribly flattering, but the quickest I could find.)

©Robin Nunn/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

More from The Globe and Mail piece:

“In terms of the public interest and the frenzy that has been surrounding some of the events that the Prime Minister and his wife and his family have been a part of, you can multiply that exponentially if you add in the Royal Family,” said Amanda Alvaro, a communications strategist and frequent Liberal commentator.

Kate shaking hands with some of the crowds near Slave Lake during the 2011 tour.

©Nunn Syndication/Polaris

A note about the timing from the CBC’s coverage:

“The timing of the homecoming is ideal to raise fresh awareness of the significant year of 2017, the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation: a time to be extra proud of our institutions and all the good things that, together, Canadians have built and are accomplishing,” he said.

Events marking the country’s 150th anniversary will be celebrated throughout 2017. 

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In other news, the Cambridges are said to be vacationing in France. Richard Palmer has more in his story for The Express:

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have flown to south-west France with their children on a friend’s private jet for a family holiday.

A local French newspaper, La Rep des Pyrenees,quoted sources saying the party, which is thought to include the children’s nanny Maria Teresa Turrion  Borrallo, were  going to stay with relatives.

The family holiday is confirmation if it was needed that after Prince Charles and Camilla’s visit to the Sandringham Flower Show today, the summer season of working in Britain is over for the Royal Family.

As to where they may be staying, the The Daily Mail offers this:

After a few minutes unloading and repacking their luggage, the UK-registered cars then headed off in the direction of north Bearn and Gers. It is not clear where they were heading but the airport is 70 miles from the coastal resort of Biarritz.

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A few quick retail updates to share, beginning with word that the Nike Baseline Half-Zip top Kate worn in Edinburgh is on sale at Nike.

Andrew Milligan/WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

The Duchess wore it in February while in Edinburgh when taking part in a tennis clinic put on by Judy Murray, Andy Murray’s mother. The piece originally sold for $70, but it’s now discounted almost 50%, to $39.97. It is available in almost all sizes at Nike.  A big ‘thank you’ to Alex A. on the Facebook page, she let us know about the sale at Nike.

Nike

Many will remember Kate wearing Le Kilt on that same trip to Edinburgh. Her skirt is available online at Le Kilt in both a long (£470) and short (£375) version.

Le Kilt/Polaris

Shortly after the Edinburgh trip Le Kilt and online retailer ASOS launched a collaborative collection. (It had been in the works well before Kate wore the brand, it was simply propitious timing for the two brands.)  It turns out pieces from that group are now significantly reduced. Skirts that were $106 are now $37.50, a $41 tee shirt is now $16, you get the drift. (Shipping is free both ways for orders totaling more than $40. For those orders less than that amount the shipping fee is $4.)

ASOS

And way on the opposite of the price spectrum: Kate’s ‘Nansen’ gown by Roland Mouret is still available at Neiman Marcus in royal blue for sizes 6, 8, or 10 ($3710).

Neiman Marcus/Roland Mouret/Forward

It is also in stock in the ‘midnight navy’ color ($2990) at Neimans, in black at Roland Mouret ($2225) and in ‘pale blush’ at Forward ($2597).

• The Daily Mail’s story about the tour is here; The Mirror’s story is here; The Express story is here; the CBC story is here  
• You might enjoy Ann Gripper’s 2011 story for The Mirror, a Complete Guide to the Duchess’s Outfits
• The Prime Minister’s website is here; the office’s Facebook page is here and Twitter feed here
• The Governor General’s website is here, its Facebook page here; the Twitter feed is here and
• The Crown in Canada’s Twitter feed is here