King’s invitation to Canada sends a message to Trump

A decade ago, a portrait of British Monarch caused a row in Canadian politics. Now the king is invited to keep the speech off the throne. What has changed?

In 2011, shortly after forming a majority of a conservative government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper caused a national commotion when he tried to emphasize Canada’s ties with the British monarchy. In one example, he replaced two works of art from a Quebec painter with a portrait of the queen.

Some punished the gesture as no contact with modern times. During the 157-year-old history, Canada has sought increasing independence from the British monarchy, while he is still part of the Commonwealth.

When the liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau followed Harper four years later, the portrait of the queen went down, the paintings of Quebec, Back -Up.

Fast forward to 2025, and a paradoxical shift took place in the relationship of Canada with De Kroon. In a transparent show of Canada’s sovereignty and independence against threats from US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney – a liberal – invited King Charles the III to open the 45th Canadian parliament.

The move is “a huge confirmation and explanation about the unique character of Canada and his traditions,” Justin Vovk, a Canadian royal historian, told the BBC – “a theatrical display that is meant to show what the Canadians separate from Americans” and not, as Trump has often repeated, a “51th state”.

Both countries are former British colonies, but the founders of America took a different path and broke all formal connections with the crown almost 250 years ago.

The separation of Canada from the monarchy has been more gradual and the tires have never been completely broken. The parliamentary system of Canada is modeled on the Westminster system of Groot -Britain. The British monarch is still formally the head of state, but their duties are often performed by their Canadian representative, called the Governor General.

Loyalty to the Kroon was seen as important in the 19th century for the politicians of Canada who wanted to keep the separation of the US, said the Canadian royal historian and commentator Carolyn Harris.

That changed later in the 1960s, when Quebec – the majority of the majority of Canada Frans -speaking province – began to assert his own clear identity and endangered divorce. This led to an era of politicians such as Lester B Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau who worked to untangle Canada from the British colonial past.

In 1982, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau repatriated the Constitution of Canada, gave the full legislative power to the federal government and the provinces and remove it from the British parliament.

Mrs Harris noted that Canada remained a constitutional monarchy during these periods. However, what fluctuated was how much the prime minister chooses from the day before to embrace that connection.

Carney’s invitation for King Charles III indicates that his government will be one that is much more in favor of the crown, said Mr. Vovk, who marked “a very different tone” than earlier liberals.

A British monarch has not held a throne course of Canada since 1977 and has not opened a brand new session of parliament since 1957, making the king’s upcoming visit a really rare opportunity.

It comes at a consistent time for Canada.

Carney performed a heavy campaign against Trump, after the US president had for months undermined the sovereignty of Canada by saying that it would be better as an American state.

Trump also imposed a series of rates that have threatened the economic stability of Canada, since the US is by far the largest trading partner.

When he announced the visit last month, Carney called it “a historical honor that corresponds to the weight of our time”.

He added that the king’s visit “clearly underlines the sovereignty of our country”.

Both historians, Mr Vovk and Mrs. Harris, noted that most of the modern population of Canada is indifferent to the British monarchy. Some are even critical.

The coronation of King Charles III in 2023 made way for a new investigation into the historical abuse of the crown of indigenous population in Canada, and questions about whether the new monarch will go to reconciliation.

Quebec politicians still call on Canada to break ties with the monarchy. On Friday, the Separatist Blok Québécois party said it will again try to delete the need for chosen officials to swear loyal to the king.

Some Canadians will be intrigued by the splendor of the king’s visit, Mr Vovk said, but the most important goal is to send a political message from Canada to the world.

It is also a way for Prime Minister Carney to improve the relationship with Trump, who is famous a fan of the British monarchy and his history.

“Strengthening the relationship with the monarchy sets a stamp on legitimacy that transcends individual parties and the current political climate,” said Vovk. “Politicians come and go, but the monarchy has always remained.”

It also works to bind Canada closer to Europe – an important objective of Premier Carney, a former Governor of the Bank of England, who has spoken about the need for Canada to find new allies while navigating its changing relationship with the US.

The visit is also remarkable for the crown.

It will be the first of the king to Canada as a ruling monarch. He and the queen were planning to visit last year, but canceled their plans because of his cancer diagnosis.

The palace has promised a throne state that “will mark an important moment between the head of state and the Canadian people”.

And although it will be a short journey – the king and the queen will arrive on Monday morning and leave on Tuesday evening – the palace said they hope that the journey will be “an impactful”.