William and Kate's royal tour itinerary released

The details of William and Kate's nine-day royal tour of Canada that kicks off next week in Ottawa have been announced.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston and Heritage Minister James Moore outlined the itinerary at a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday.

It is the couple's first official tour since their storybook wedding at Westminster Abbey in London April 29.

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the couple's private secretary who will be among the pared-down entourage of seven travelling with them, describes the tour as a balance of "meaningful engagements mixed with fun."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's nine-day tour spans seven cities and five provinces and will see them travel by plane, ship, helicopter and sea plane. The visit will include stops in P.E.I., Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and the National Capital Region, where the couple will celebrate Canada Day.

The couple are scheduled to arrive in Ottawa on June 30 at 2 p.m. ET. They are expected to attend all the events together with no separate programs.

William won't wear his uniform for ceremonial events here. More than 1,300 members of the international media will be along on the tour, compared with 848 last year during the Queen's visit to Canada.

Highlights of their itinerary include:

• June 30 —Their first official function is laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. They will then head to Rideau Hall where they will be greeted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Governor General and receive full military honours including a 21-gun salute.There will be a youth barbecue and reception in the garden of Government House.
• July 1 — They will attend a citizenship ceremony at the Museum of Civilization and then it's off to Parliament Hill for Canada Day celebrations, where William will briefly address the crowd.
• July 2 — After a tree planting at Rideau Hall and a reception for war veterans and war brides, the couple depart for Montreal. There, they will visit Saint-Justine Hospital, a facility for young cancer patients, and go to the Institut de tourism et d'hotelerie where they will participate in a class of chefs in training. The students will then serve them a private dinner. Amid a fireworks competition in the harbour, the couple board HMCS Montreal for the overnight journey to Quebec City.
• July 3 — The couple will meet the Royal 22nd Regiment, the Van Doos, who have just returned from Afghanistan. Expect an inspection of the guard and a walkabout. They then head to the Citadel and after some down time depart for Levi Fort to participate in a fair. They depart by plane to Charlottetown where they will stay at Government House.
• July 4 — In the morning, they will tour Province House, and be greeted by the Fathers of Confederation on the steps. There will be a welcome by Premier Robert Ghiz and then a walkabout on George Street. Then they will head to Dalvay by the Sea. After a brief rest, they attend an outdoor reception complete with BBQ, dragon boat race and music. They will be greeted by Anne of Green Gables and do a walkabout. They depart for Summerside by helicopter where they will see a search and rescue demonstration and attend a reception for fishermen rescued by such teams. They leave for Yellowknife.
• July 5  — At Somba Ke Civic Plaza, the couple will be welcomed by the premier and aboriginal leaders in a ceremony that includes prayer and drum songs. They will do a walkabout with aboriginal athletic events. At a Territorial Legislature for Youth Parliament event, young people from different ridings will come to the legislature and try to solve a problem of their choosing and report their results to William. The couple then travel by sea plane to Blatchford Lodge to meet with Canadian Rangers. After walking to Dechinta Centre, which tries to recapture the aboriginal language and culture for young people, they return to Yellowknife and retire for the night.
• July 6 —The couple depart for Calgary and have the day to themselves in a private location.
• July 7 — After visiting Foothills Hospital, they head to the BMO Centre for a reception hosted by Harper and his wife. There will be a gift presentation from the government of Canada to the couple and a speech by Harper.
• July 8 — The couple will attend the launch of the Calgary Stampede parade and watch part of the parade. Then they visit ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. Their final stop is Challenger Rotary Park where William will do an inspection of the guard with full military honours.

They depart Calgary airport at 1:40 MT for Los Angeles to start their U.S. tour.