Kate Middleton and Prince William to meet Trudeaus on Canadian tour

Kate Middleton and Prince William, the Duchess and Duke of Cambridge, are set to embark on a tour of Canada – meeting with the popular Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau – in a bid to strengthen ailing support for the monarchy.

All eyes are certain to be on Kate and Sophie, lauded as fashion icons alongside their crucial work in pushing mental health campaigns.

The duchess recently featured on the cover of British Vogue, having launched the #youngmindsmatter hashtag while the guest editor for Huffington Post earlier this year, while Sophie bravely spoke out about her struggles with bulimia, amidst praise for her informal approach to being one-half of a political power couple.

This move comes as Canada prepares to mark the 150th anniversary of its confederation next year, while seriously reconsidering its relationship with the monarchy.

According to The Sunday Times, a recent poll found that 64% of Canadians wanted to continue to recognise the Queen as their monarch, but only 46% were willing to do so for Prince Charles.

The eight-day visit also marks the first trip overseas for the duke and duchess with both their children, Prince George, three and Princess Charlotte, 16 months.

And experts suggest this new family-orientated approach is an intentional ploy to boost royal support.

During the Cambridges' tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014, young George was credited with reducing support for the republican movement in Australia to its lowest level for 35 years. Royal sources hope that he and his sister can do the same in Canada.

As one a royal aide reportedly put it: "Realms are hugely important. The feeling is that if Canada were to wobble, the rest of the Commonwealth might."