Prince Charles, Duchess of Cornwall to visit Winnipeg
CBC News | Posted: January 16, 2014 10:50 PM | Last Updated: January 16, 2014
Members of Royal Family announce Canadian tour for May
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have announced they plan to visit Canada in May, with stops in Manitoba and the Maritimes.
The Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, haven’t said exactly where in Winnipeg they’ll be stopping, but a number of Manitobans are already excited for the visit, not the least of which work in the province’s office of the Chief of Protocol.
“We’re delighted, and we’re thrilled, and we’re going to try and put on a very substantial and very good program for them,” said Dwight MacAulay, chief protocol officer for Manitoba.
Prince Charles last visited Manitoba in 1996, and the Duchess of Cornwall hasn’t been to the province before.
The Monarchist League’s Darcie von Axelstierna said the visit will be a little different than if other members of the Royal Family were coming to down.
“There’s a lot of focus on William and Kate because of course they are young and glamorous,” said Axelstierna. “It is interesting to the media whereas the Prince of Wales is a little more analytical.”
He said Prince Charles and Camilla appeal to a slightly different audience.
“They would want to probably reach out to people in the community who wouldn’t be as mobile or get a chance to meet them, usually,” he said.
Regardless of which Royal couple is showing up, some local business owners are expecting to benefit from the visit.
“For Manitoba in general I think it’s exciting,” said Belinda Bigold, co-owner of High Tea Bakery on Portage Avenue. “We don’t get many celebrities through here.”
When the Queen came in 2010, the bakery produced 4,000 Imperial cookies.
“We had every single staff member on it in a kind of assembly line,” said Bigold. “When the Royals are involved, we put the little crowns on them, and they fly off the shelves.”