232807
232830

BC  

Royals arrive in Victoria

Prince William, his wife Kate and their children arrived in Victoria on Saturday to start a week-long visit to British Columbia and Yukon.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were scheduled to participate in a welcoming ceremony at the B.C. legislature on Saturday evening with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov.-Gen. David Johnston.

The royal couple and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be based in Victoria for the duration of their tour.

Hundreds of people lined blue gates criss-crossing the legislature lawn, many sporting small Canadian and British Columbia flags in their hands, hats or hair. Many had been waiting since noon, more than five hours before the royal couple's scheduled arrival.

Victoria native Katherine Pitt, who describes herself as a "big fan" of the royal family, turned up before sunrise to snag a front-row seat to the event, armed with a picnic blanket, food and an iPad loaded with the last season of the historical drama "Downton Abbey."

"This is a big deal," said Pitt, who has previously seen Prince Andrew and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex

"It's a great opportunity. Probably a once in a lifetime chance for most of us here in Canada anyway. We're just happy to be here."

On Sunday, William and Kate travel to Vancouver where their itinerary includes a visit to Sheway, a pregnancy outreach program for mothers struggling with drug and alcohol issues in the heart of the city's Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood known for its extreme poverty, homelessness and drug addiction.

The royals will also visit the indigenous community in Bella Bella on B.C.'s remote central coast and fly over the area's Great Bear Rainforest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world.

At Haida Gwaii, on the province's northern coast, the royal couple will go on a sea-going canoe trip from historic Skidegate Landing to the Haida Heritage Centre and Museum.

The tour takes the duke and duchess to a food festival at an Okanagan vineyard in Kelowna, and indigenous cultural events at Whitehorse and Carcross in Yukon.

This is the royal couple's second visit to Canada.

Their first trip to Canada followed their 2011 wedding, taking them to Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife, Calgary and Slave Lake after that community was ravaged by a forest fire.

Prince William last visited British Columbia on holiday in 1998 with his brother, Prince Harry, and his father, Prince Charles.



More BC News



229228