They Have Arrived- Day 1

Almost There...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte are due to land in Canada in approximately 20 minutes.

Don't forget to check back during the day for tour updates and photos of the Cambridge family.

Tour Events

Schedule of events from gg.ca website

Their Excellencies to Officially Welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada

September 22, 2016

Their Excellencies to Officially Welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada  

OTTAWA—Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston will officially welcome to Canada Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, in Victoria, British Columbia, on Saturday, September 24, 2016.
In addition to this event, which launches the 2016 Royal Tour, Their Excellencies will join Their Royal Highnesses in Bella Bella, British Columbia, for a dedication ceremony of the Great Bear Rainforest; in Whitehorse, Yukon, for arts and culture demonstrations; and again in Victoria to bid farewell to the Royal family on their official departure from Canada, on October 1, 2016.
The 2016 Royal Tour will take place from September 24 to October 1, 2016. Their Royal Highnesses will participate in events and activities that highlight the work Canadians are doing to preserve the environment, empower young people, improve mental health, support those who need a helping hand, encourage active living and highlight Indigenous culture and ‎heritage.
Timings indicated are in local time zone (Pacific Daylight Time).

Saturday, September 24Victoria, British Columbia

4 p.m.Arrival to CanadaUpon their arrival in Canada, the Royal family will be greeted by Their Excellencies as they disembark from the plane.
Victoria International Airport,443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron Dakota Rd, North SaanichOpen to Royal Tour Accredited Media
5:05 p.m. Official Welcoming Ceremony (Open to the Public)Later that day, thousands of Canadians will take to the streets to officially welcome Their Royal Highnesses to Canada. The welcoming ceremony will include a 21-gun salute, the breaking of His Royal Highness’s Canadian Standard, and an inspection of a guard of honour. The ceremony will conclude with remarks by the Governor General, His Royal Highness and other Canadian dignitaries.
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, 501 Belleville Street, Victoria
Open to Royal Tour Accredited Media

6:05 p.m. Audience with Their Royal HighnessesTheir Excellencies will have a private audience with Their Royal Highnesses.
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, 501 Belleville Street, Victoria
Pool Media

 Monday, September 26Bella Bella, British Columbia

12:20 p.m.Arrival in Bella Bella Upon arrival in Bella Bella, Their Excellencies and Their Royal Highnesses will be welcomed by the Heiltsuk community in a traditional ceremony. Following this, they will make their way to the Wawiskas Community Hall to witness a cultural celebration.
Memorial Hospital breakwater / Wawiskas Community HallOpen to Royal Tour Accredited Media
1:10 p.m. Dedication of the Great Bear RainforestAs the representative of Her Majesty The Queen in Canada, the Governor General will mark the inclusion of the Great Bear Rainforest in the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative. During this dedication ceremony, His Excellency, the Premier of British Columbia and His Royal Highness will deliver remarks. After the ceremony, His Royal Highness will unveil the dedication plaque at McLoughlin Bay.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy is a unique network of forest conservation initiatives, which involves all 53 countries of the Commonwealth. For more information, visit queenscommonwealthcanopy.org.
Ceremony at the Elders’ Lodge / Plaque unveiling at McLoughlin Bay
Open to Royal Tour Accredited Media

Victoria, British Columbia

7:50 p.m. Black Rod Ceremony and Evening Reception at Government HouseTheir Excellencies will join Their Royal Highnesses at a Black Rod ceremony followed by a reception at Government House.
The Black Rod is a ceremonial staff used on formal occasions when the Sovereign or the provincial representative of the Crown, the lieutenant governor, is present in the legislative assembly of British Columbia.
Government House, 1401 Rockland Ave, Victoria
POOL Media 

Tuesday, September 27Whitehorse, Yukon

6:10 p.m. Official Arrival in Yukon Prior to the arrival of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Yukon, the Governor General will inspect a guard composed of members of the Canadian Rangers and Junior Rangers, who provide a military presence in Canada’s North. Following this, the Governor General will deliver remarks.
Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, 75 Barkley Grow Crescent #316, Whitehorse
Open to Royal Tour Accredited Media
6:50 p.m.Yukon Cultural Celebration Their Excellencies and Their Royal Highnesses will attend a Yukon cultural celebration that will highlight the diversity and depth of Yukon’s cultural scene. Dancers, drummers and musicians representing a variety of genres and backgrounds will share their songs and stories in a dynamic performance.
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, 1171-1st Avenue, Whitehorse
Open to Royal Tour Accredited Media – Arrival and departure from cultural CentrePOOL Media – Inside cultural centre

Wednesday, September 28Whitehorse, Yukon

10 a.m. Healing Totem and Community Festival on Main StreetTheir Excellencies, the Territorial Commissioner, the Premier of Yukon and Their Royal Highnesses will join locals on Main Street for a colourful party where artists and craftspeople will showcase their work. Among these displays will be the 11-metre-long Healing Totem dedicated to the healing of residential school survivors and their communities.
Main Street, WhitehorseOpen to Royal Tour Accredited Media

Saturday, October 1Victoria, British Columbia

3:40 p.m. Official Departure Ceremony (Open to the Public)At the end of the week-long Royal Tour, Their Excellencies, Canadian dignitaries along with thousands of Canadians, will join together to bid the Their Royal Highnesses farewell during an official departure ceremony.
Victoria Harbour Airport, 950 Wharf Street, Victoria
Open to Royal Tour Accredited Media

Wales And Cambridge Families In Canada

As we prepare to enjoy the Cambridge tour of Canada, let's look at past Wales and Cambridge royal visits.

Diana 1983

Charles & Diana Klondike 1983

Victoria B.C. 1986

Diana greeting her boys 1991

Niagra Falls 1991

1998 Wales boys after Diana's death

William & Catherine 2011

Cambridges and Middletons Visit Balmoral Castle

The Cambridge family arrived in Scotland last Thursday to spend time in beautiful Balmoral Castle.

William aged 15 months at Balmoral

Soon after, Catherine's parents Carole and Michael Middleton also arrived and have been enjoying time with their daughter and extended royal family. 

Catherine, William and children George and Charlotte initially stayed with Prince Charles and Camilla at Birkhall, which the Prince inherited from the late Queen Mother. 

Then they moved over to Balmoral Castle to enjoy time with the Queen, Prince Philip, Princess Anne and other family. 

On separate occasions, the Queen was seen driving both Catherine, and later her mother around the estate to attend picnics set up for the grouse shooting party and to see the spectacular sights.

The Middletons also joined the Royal family for a Sunday church service at nearby Crathie Kirk. It is the same church that Princes William and Harry came to pray just hours after the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.

On the 24th of September, the Cambridge family will start their week long tour of Canada.

Charlotte And George Off To Canada

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's household has released a  more detailed itinerary for the couple's royal tour of Canada due to start on 24th September.

Among the new details is the announcement that Prince George ( 3 years old) and Princess Charlotte ( 16 months) will join their parents on the week long tour.

The children will be based at Government House in the British Columbia capital, Victoria. The family will arrive aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force jet. 

Prince George made his royal tour debut at the age of eight months when he visited Australia and New Zealand in 2014. Similar to this trip, he was based at the Governor General's official residence in Wellington, New Zealand and in Sydney and Canberra in Australia. 

You can revisit the trip by clicking on the Australia and New Zealand tab at the top of this page!

Hopefully this latest tour will offer some sightings of the royal children at various stages. 

Closer to the trip I will start a Canada 2016 tab for all of us to enjoy.

The official press release can be found at: 

https://www.royal.uk/further-details-duke-and-duchess-cambridges-tour-canada-announced

Cambridge Tour Of Canada

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will return to Canada later this month. It is not known yet whether Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join their parents. However, the itinerary allows Catherine and William to return to Victoria, British Columbia a number of times. They could use this as a base for their children much like they did with Prince George on their successful tour of New Zealand and Australia in 2014.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace said:
"The Duke and Duchess are delighted to be returning to Canada. They hold very happy memories from their visit in 2011 - their first overseas tour as a married couple. They are really looking forward to seeing other parts of this beautiful country and having the opportunity to meet many more Canadians along the way."

Tour Outline

September 24: Victoria, British Columbia
September 25: Vancouver, British Columbia
September 26: Bella Bella and Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia
September 27: Kelowna, British Columbia and Whitehorse, Yukon
September 28: Whitehorse and Carcross, Yukon
September 29: Victoria, British Columbia
September 30: Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
October 1: Victoria, British Columbia


This will be the Duke and Duchess's second visit to Canada together. Their first Royal Tour was between 30 June and 8 July 2011 when they visited Canada’s Capital Region, Montréal, Québec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife, Slave Lake and Calgary.

Chateau La Rocque

source: DailyMail

It has emerged that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their
children George and Charlotte stayed at a chateau owned by Michael Green- previous employer of ex P.M. David Cameron. 

A quote from the Daily Mail:

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have holidayed in a stunning French chateau owned by the media boss who first employed David Cameron.

Prince William and Kate spent part of their recent summer break in the 16th-century holiday home of Michael Green, who has a £103million fortune. 

The couple, along with their children Prince George, three, and one-year-old Princess Charlotte, enjoyed a ten-day break at Chateau La Rocque, in the village of Pouydraguin, west of Toulouse.

It is not clear whether the couple paid to stay in the chateau or whether they were lent it." 

Vale Duke Of Westminster

The Cambridge family have returned from their French holiday. 

As mentioned in my previous article, the family used the Duke of Westminster's jet to fly to France. It has emerged that Gerald Grosvenor died suddenly yesterday at the age of 64. 

Hugh Grosvenor, aged 25 will assume the Dukedom. He is one of Prince George's godfathers. Further family connections can be found in last blog post.

No doubt royal tributes will flow and I extend my sympathies to the Grosvenor family.

Additional information of the Grosvenor Estate can be found here:
http://www.grosvenorestate.com/

Cambridge Family Holidaying In France

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and  Princess Charlotte have headed to France for a family holiday on Tuesday.

The family of four and staff were seen arriving at Pau-Pyrenees airport in the Duke of Westminster's Cessna Citation X jet. They party then left in two Range Rovers for an unknown destination. 

The Cambridge's have used the Duke of Westminster's aircraft several times in the past. The Duke, Gerald Grosvenor is one of Britain's richest men and owns large parts of London. 

The Grosvenors are great friends of the royals and have many connections.Here is an excerpt from a blog post I wrote on 17th September 2015:

• Natalia, Duchess of Westminster is one of Prince William's godmothers

• Diana, Princess of Wales was godmother to Natalia and Gerald's daughter Lady Edwina Grosvenor

• Hugh, Earl Grosvenor is a godfather to Prince George.

• Lady Tamara Grosvenor married Edward van Cutsem whose family has a long standing friendship with the Prince of Wales and family:

  *the van Cutsem's previously lived at Amner Hall which is now home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 
  *Prince Charles has been a friend of the late Hugh van Cutsem senior since university 
  *Edward van Cutsem is godson of Prince Charles and was pageboy at Charles' marriage to Lady Diana Spencer
  *Hugh ( brother of Edward) van Cutsem's daughter Grace was flower girl at William and Catherine's wedding.
  *William van Cutsem ( like Hugh Grosvenor) is a godfather to Prince George"

It is not known at this stage where the Cambridge's will stay or for how long.