MAKING HISTORY

It was 'the warmest of welcomes and the fondest of returns' for the King as he visited Canada for the first time as monarch

- DANIELLE STACEY

Canada rolled out the red carpet in an impressive display of pomp and pageantry of a type not seen for more than half a century as the King and Queen made a historic royal visit to the country.

HELLO! joined Their Majesties as they received a rapturous welcome during their whirlwind two-day tour, during which crowds lined the streets of Ottawa to greet them.

MPs cheered: “God save the King” as Charles, who is monarch of Canada, walked into the Senate building to open Parliament.

Escorted by flag-bearing Mounties, the royal couple were driven in a horse-drawn landau carriage, before being met by a 100-strong guard of honour and a 21-gun salute.

RARE OCCASION

It was only the second time in history that a King or Queen had presided over the state opening of Parliament — Charles's mother Queen Elizabeth II last did so, in 1957 — and the significance of the occasion was not lost on His Majesty, who was said to be “very touched” by the reception.

“This is my 20th visit to Canada, spread over the course of more than half a century, and my first as sovereign,” he said in his speech from the Senate throne, made of oak from the royal estate at Windsor Castle. “As I have said before: 'Every time I come to Canada... a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream — and from there, straight to my heart.”

The King’s acceptance of new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to visit, during Charles's treatment for cancer, has been widely interpreted as a sign of his support for the nation’s sovereignty, after US President Donald Trump suggested that it should become the 51st state of the US.