King Charles to outline Canada's priorities in Parliament amid Trump
annexation threat
[May 27, 2025]
By ROB GILLIES
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — King Charles III will outline new Prime Minister
Mark Carney's government priorities in a speech in the Canadian
Parliament on Tuesday. It's widely viewed as a show of support in the
face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime
Minister Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne.
The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the
British Commonwealth of former colonies.
Carney said in a statement the visit speaks to the “vitality of our
constitutional monarchy and our distinct identity.”
It is rare for the monarch to deliver what’s called the speech from the
throne in Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did it twice in
her 70-year reign, the last time in 1977.
The speech is not written by the king or his U.K. advisers as Charles
serves as a nonpartisan head of state. He will read what is put before
him by Canada’s government.
Carney , the new prime minister and a former head of the Bank of
England, and Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, the
king’s representative in Canada, met with the king on Monday.
Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been
eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States. The
king’s visit clearly underscores Canada’s sovereignty, he said.
Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the
increased aggression shown by Trump.
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Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, greets Britain's King
Charles as he arrives at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, during a
royal visit Monday, May 26, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian
Press via AP)
The new U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said sending
messages to the U.S. isn’t necessary and Canadians should move on
from the 51st state talk, telling the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation that if there’s a message to be sent there are easier
ways to do that, such as calling him or calling the president.
“There are different ways to ‘send a message’ and a phone call is
only of them," said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at
McGill University.
"The King would normally add his own short introductory remarks and
observers will be listening to them very carefully with the issue of
Canada’s sovereignty in mind.”
A horse-drawn carriage will take the king and queen to the Senate of
Canada Building for the speech. It will accompanied by 28 horses —
14 before and 14 after. He will receive the Royal Salute from the
100-person guard of honor from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian
Regiment before entering the chamber for his speech.
The king will return to the U.K. after the speech and a visit to
Canada’s National War Memorial.
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