Canadian Tour Itinerary Released

We are back with the confirmed schedule for the Canada tour and a partial list of activities for that visit, slated to begin in just a bit more than a month.

This is the couple’s second visit to the country. More from the Canadian Heritage news release about the tour:

This will be the first time The Duke of Cambridge has toured Yukon and British Columbia in an official capacity. However, The Duke visited British Columbia once before on a private/working visit in 1998, where he joined The Prince of Wales and his brother Prince Harry on a skiing vacation at Whistler.

Their Royal Highnesses will participate in events and activities that highlight the work Canadians are doing to preserve the environment, empower young people, improve mental health, encourage active living and highlight Indigenous culture and ‎heritage.

This morning Kensington Palace released the itinerary showing stops in 7 cities, during what is sure to be a visually spectacular trip.

From The Daily Telegraph:

..their official visit to the wilderness of western Canada raises the prospect of the country’s majestic scenery being used as backdrops for joint photo shoots with the young Royals and the Trudeaus.

Interest in the visit will be heightened because the Duke and Duchess are widely expected to be accompanied by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, marking the first official royal tour for their 15-month-old daughter.

More about probable inclusion of the children via Victoria Murphy’s story in The Daily Mirror:

It is also hoped that George, three, and Charlotte, one, will make at least one appearance at an ‘engagement’ of their own in what will be Charlotte’s first overseas trip.

And from The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English:

They will focus their engagements on young people – particularly those with success stories to tell – as well as the issue of mental health.

The royal couple will also meet with First Nations communities in order to highlight conservation and cultural issues as well as undertake engagements in the fields of agriculture, education and the emergency services.

The Cambridges will arrive in Victoria, British Columbia on Saturday the 24th. It will be a lengthy trip, as even a non-stop flight from London to Victoria would take a minimum of 9 to 10  hours. Victoria is in the Pacific time zone, 8 hours behind London. (The Telegraph points out the city is named after William’s great-great-great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.)

There will be an official welcome ceremony, back to the Canadian Heritage news release:

The official welcome will include protocol elements, such as an Honour Guard review and speeches.

It looks like the Cambridges will use Government House in Victoria as a base for the children and Nanny Maria Borrallo. This would be similar to what the couple did with Prince George during the 2014 tour of New Zealand and Australia. Below, Kate and William on the grounds of Government House in New Zealand, receiving a ceremonial welcomed to the country.

Government House in Victoria is the official residence of British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor, Judith Guichon, as well as a National Historic Site. 

Sunday the family travels to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Vancouver is on Canada’s southwest coast, about 3 hours north of Seattle. It is consistently included on lists of top places to live or visit because of its location, climate and culture.

After a day in Vancouver the tour moves to the island village of Bella Bella on the 26th, where the Heiltsuk Indian Reserve is located.  From a statement on the Heiltsuk Nation website: 

We are very pleased that our community is included in their tour of BC, said Chief Marilyn Slett. “What better way for  the Duke and Duchess to learn about the people who live in the Great Bear Rainforest than to come to our territories.   While in our community they will see a strong and vibrant community and culture.”

Chief Slett said the Duke and Duchess would witness a very small part of the Heiltsuk culture and see firsthand what makes the Global treasure known as the Great Bear Rainforest so special. 

Many readers recall Kate and William’s visit to the Borneo rainforest during the 2012 Jubilee Tour.

More on the trip to the Great Bear Rainforest from Patricia Treble’s story for Maclean’s Canada:

It isn’t just that it’s a massive stretch of old-growth temperate rainforest, but also that its waters are treasures themselves in terms of its complex marine biodiversity.

It is described this way on the Hello British Columbia website:

…home to the planet’s largest intact temperate rainforest, and is the only place in the world where you can see the Kermode (Spirit) bear, a sub-species of black bear noted for its white fur. It provides unparalleled wildlife and grizzly viewing, and a sense of solitude and tranquility.

The Telegraph story notes “The forest known as the Amazon of the North stretches for more than 250 miles along the Pacific coast of British Columbia…”.  It very much seems the sort of place Prince William would love to share with the children, particularly Prince George.

On the 27th the itinerary includes Kelowna, about 250 miles northeast of Vancouver, a popular summer tourist destination on the shores of Okanagan Lake. 

Among other notable attractions, local wineries.  Many will recall Kate and William’s visit to the Amisfield Vineyard in New Zealand during the 2014 tour.

On Wednesday, the 28th, the Cambridges head to Whitehorse, capital of northwest Canada’s Yukon territory.

More from the Canadian Heritage news release about the tour, which notes there will be “A lively public celebration, where Their Royal Highnesses will meet representatives of Yukon communities”.  This is also where the Trudeau and Cambridge families will spend the day together; more via a CBC story shared in a previous post:

They’re expected to arrive in Whitehorse on Sept. 28, and spend a day in the territory with the prime minister and his wife, as well as Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

Events and activities — not yet announced — will be within “driving distance” from Whitehorse, the email says.

Carcross, also located in the Yukon, with a population of less than 300, is the other stop on the 29th. Back to The Telegraph’s story:

 …a region famed for the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush when some 100,000 people flocked to the area trying to find gold.

Located nearby, the Caribou Crossing Trading Post offers a petting farm, wildlife museum, dog cart rides and an active gold mine where visitors can their hand at ‘mining.’ Somehow a photo op with George and Charlotte and the petting farm animals doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.

Friday is currently shown as being spent in Victoria but activities for the day have not yet been announced. Saturday’s schedule calls for a visit to Haida Gawaii, an archipelago off the coast of British Columbia.  From the Daily Mail article:

The family will be able to take in some of Canada’s breathtaking scenery at Haida Gwaii, which was chosen as one of National Geographic’s 20 Best Trips 2015 thanks to its serenity and cultural richness. 

 And from The Daily Mirror story: 

Made up of two main islands and 150 smaller ones, they were renamed Haida Gwaii from Queen Charlotte Islands to acknowledge the history of the Haida nation.

Some perspective on the distances being traveled from Patricia Treble’s Maclean’s Canada piece: 

The royal tour will will also involve a lot of travelling. The trip on Sept. 27, from Victoria to Kelowna and then onto Whitehorse is around 1,800 km.

This graphic from the Maclean’s story gives you an idea of the distances between engagements.

The Canadian government’s official tour website has been updated since we last shared it with you, there are several more sections, including FAQs and What to do if you have the chance to meet a member of The Royal Family. (A thank you to Brenda for letting me know the page was updated!)

As always, we’ll keep you up to date with developments as the tour draws nearer.

NOTE: Post has been updated with removal of a quote from The Daily Mirror story reporting that the British Columbia city of Prince George is named after George V’s youngest son; that Prince George was actually the second-youngest of George V’s sons, not the youngest. (With thanks to Lili for letting us know about the error.)

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Also today, word that Kate, William and Harry sent a joint message to Team GB, congratulating them on their stellar showing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

From the letter released by Kensington Palace:

Congratulations to Team GB on your record-breaking success at Rio 2016.

We have really enjoyed following your achievements across such a wide variety of sports during the last two weeks. London 2012 was a hard act to follow, but you have made the entire country proud of everything you have accomplished.

You should arrive home knowing that you have delighted millions of people across the Home Nations, many of whom have stayed up late, night after night, to share in your celebrations.

We all know that this success does not come easy and is the culmination of years of hard work, passionate commitment, sheer grit and determination. You are an inspiration to us all, young and old.

To everyone associated with Team GB – well done! We hope that you have all enjoyed the experience as much as we have back home. William, Catherine, Harry.

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Two very quick retail updates, one of which you may have seen in our Retail Roundup. 

Kate’s ”Dollie’ sandal by Schutz worn in July is now available for ordering in most sizes on the US website. On the Brazilian site the shoe has been renamed the “Kate,” where it is available for pre-ordering with an expected ship date of Sept. 9th.

It also comes in a gold glitter design on the Brazil site. (The shoe remains available in black in limited sizing on the Schutz US site.) Many thanks to Cristiane for the update on this shoe.

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The second tidbit involves an item that consistently receives positive reviews from those fond of the Duchess’s Odele coat from Temperley London, a piece first seen in 2012 when Kate was out for a walk with Lupo.

The Via Spiga repliKate coat is available once again at Nordstrom, where it is priced at $318.

Our thanks to Melanie from California for the info on this piece, along with other suggestions for repliKating the style, shared in a comment on a recent post.

We’ll see you Wednesday for Kate and William’s engagements in Luton, Bedfordshire.

LINKAGE:

• The official tour website is here and the Canadian Heritage news release is here
• Victoria Murphy’s story in The Mirror is here; Rebecca English’s piece for The Daily Mail is here; Patricia Treble’s story for Maclean’s is here; The Daily Telegraph piece is here