Prince William and Kate Middleton
Canada prepares to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Reuters

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will arrive in Canada tomorrow to begin their first tour since their wedding in the spring. The couple will begin in Ottawa where republican feeling is stronger than in most areas of the country and end in Calgary where they will leave for the U.S. The tour is designed to celebrate the birthday of Canada as well as bring together the monarchy and Canada, a relationship that Britain is taking ever more seriously.

There is no doubt that the monarchy is becoming more and more popular in Canada and that has a great deal to do with the youthful couple. It will be the first royal tour for the couple since their marriage and it will be a chance for the Canadian people to catch a glimpse of the couple as they sample all things that are great about Canada.

Canadians do however remain deeply divided over the issues surrounding monarchy, however over the past year and especially since the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, support for crown rule seems to be gaining ground in Canada. There have been three royal tours in as many years to the country and without a doubt there is a growing loving feeling for the new couple. The fact that they chose Canada as their first overseas tour shows how important Canada is to the royal family.

Royal Visits to Canada, since 2000

    • Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh: 2002, 2005, 2010
    • Prince of Wales: 2001, 2009
    • Princess Royal: Four visits between 2003 and 2010
    • Prince Andrew: Every year except 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2010
    • Prince Edward: Every year except 2004, 2005 and 2007
    • Prince Harry: 2007

In 2009 when Charles and Camilla visited Canada it was somewhat of an embarrassment for the royal family. The crowds were relatively small and crowds were very thin on the ground. At the time, two thirds of the country wanted to see an elected home grown head of state.

Fast forward to 2010 and 2011 and there have been a dramatic change in the mind-set of the Canadian people. The Queen's trip in 2010 saw a record 100,000 people gather on Parliament Hill to welcome the Queen and Prince Phillip to the Canada. The fact that Canada will be the first to welcome Prince William and Kate Middleton has changed Canadian's mind-sets. The Canadian people are very much in love with the royal couple with record crowds expected to turn out to see the couple on all eight days of the tour. No previous royal visit has sparked as much excitement as the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The couple represent Canada, and, that is why they have such an adoring fan base in the country. Canada sees itself as a young, fresh, fashion conscious and youthful society. Both William and Kate represent these values perfectly. Many Canadians are already speculating as to what the Duchess will be wearing on each day, highlighting the excitement that the Canadian people have for this tour.

Royal Visits to Canada, since 2000

    • Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh: 2002, 2005, 2010
    • Prince of Wales: 2001, 2009
    • Princess Royal: Four visits between 2003 and 2010
    • Prince Andrew: Every year except 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2010
    • Prince Edward: Every year except 2004, 2005 and 2007
    • Prince Harry: 2007
Kate Middleton