King Charles III travelled to Ottawa last year to deliver his Speech from the Throne, inaugurating Canada’s 45th Parliament. According to government documents obtained by Global News, the two-day visit involved nearly $900,000 in public funds. This marks only the third time in Canadian history that a sitting monarch has personally delivered the Speech from the Throne. Then-Prime Minister Mark Carney described Charles’s visit as highly symbolic, a powerful response to US President Trump’s repeated questioning of Canadian sovereignty. Carney said last May, “This is a historic honour that reflects the importance of our time.” The royal advance team has already spent over 23,000 yuan.
According to the documents, the Canadian government first dispatched and received a six-member royal advance team in May of last year, who flew from London, England to Ottawa to inspect the site and coordinate the itinerary with Canadian officials. The total cost of airfare, hotel, meals, and transportation amounted to $23,838. The official visit took place from May 26 to 27.
As is customary, Canada dispatched a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-330 aircraft to London to pick up Charles and Queen Camilla, along with their entourage. Although the Department of Defence has not disclosed the actual cost of the flights, Global News estimates, based on aviation industry data, that the round-trip cost was approximately $410,000. The costs of road closures, security, and ceremonies are enormous.
Charles and Camilla’s entourage consisted of 24 members of the royal family, some of whom stayed at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa, while others stayed at the official guesthouse 7 Rideau Gate within the Governor General’s residence. In addition, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) ceremonial cavalry cost $20,605 to deploy, but additional security expenses were not disclosed.
To accommodate the royal visit, the City of Ottawa had to close roads around the Remembrance Memorial and Lansdowne Park, an arrangement for which the federal government paid $146,945. The media stands cost $5,335 to build, crowd control fees were $3,500, and pedestrian walkway works near the memorial cost approximately $12,000. The bills paid by Canadian Heritage alone totalled $461,940. Including the estimated cost of the Royal Air Force aircraft, the total expense for the royal visit and address exceeded $870,000, approaching $900,000. Charles’s speech emphasized Canadian sovereignty
In his policy address to the Senate on May 27 last year, Charles quoted lyrics from the Canadian national anthem, saying, “The True North is indeed strong and free.” It is widely believed that the speech reflected the Carney government’s deliberate attempt to highlight Canada’s sovereignty and independence through royal symbols against the backdrop of strained US-Canada relations.