King Charles III dedicated to 'bringing different cultures and people together' during his reign: report

Mary Simon-Canada's current governor-general and the first Indigenous person to hold the office- believes King Charles III will be devoted to working on reconciliation between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples during his reign. He and Queen Consort Camilla acknowledged the "pain and suffering" of the indigenous groups during their last royal visit to Canada.

In an interview with "The West Block," Gov. Gen. Mary Simon remarked upon King Charles III being "very different" from his mother. However, he still shares the same dedication to service and "bringing different cultures and people together."

"When he was here (during Charles' last royal visit to Canada in May), we had a lot of opportunities to talk about Indigenous issues, and he's very committed to reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and the Crown. He has told me directly that he's committed to working on these issues, and hopefully, I'll have a lot of opportunities to continue working with them." she shared.

During that May visit, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla reportedly met with Indigenous leaders during the tour to "hear their stories" but did not give a formal apology for the monarchy's role in their suffering. An act long requested by the Assembly of First Nations and other groups.

Mary Simon shared her views on reconciliation with the monarchy and asserted that it is a "living process" wherein there must be an ongoing dialogue among all Canadians and especially the Indigenous people, not just between governments and the monarchy.

At present, Mary is focused on representing Canada at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. She is also hard at work with the unprecedented task of ensuring Canadians can say goodbye to the only monarch they have ever known and have a seamless transition to accepting King Charles III's reign.

"It was some 70 years ago when Elizabeth became queen. So it's a new experience for all of us to carry the responsibility of making sure things are going smoothly in terms of (Charles' accession). It can be challenging trying to find the balance between mourning the queen's passing and celebrating her legacy, and I think we've done okay," reflected Simon.