The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Northwest Territories on May 19, stopping in Yellowknife and Dettah to meet with Indigenous community leaders and visit a transitional housing centre, among other activities.
The date and full itinerary of the visit was announced on April 26. It will be the third and final day of Charles and Camilla’s Canadian visit, following stops in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Ottawa.
The couple will land at Det’on Cho Logistics in Yellowknife sometime in the afternoon, where they will be welcomed to the territory by dignitaries.
While in Dettah, Prince Charles will meet with local Indigenous leaders, while Camilla will visit Kaw Tay Whee School to learn about that school’s promotion of traditional language.
Afterwards, the couple will stop in Fred Henne Territorial Park to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Canadian Rangers. During this ceremony, the Prince of Wales will be made an Honorary Canadian Ranger.
During the visit to Yellowknife, Camilla will visit a transitional housing centre for women and children. In discussing the itinerary, Melanie Kwong, the director general of Major Events, Commemoration and Capital Experience with Canadian Heritage, said the Duchess of Cornwall “has had a long standing interest in many women’s issues, including intimate partner violence, support for women, women supporting women. And so it was very important to include this component in that part of the visit.”
Prince Charles will discuss climate change and Indigenous-led climate solutions as part of a visit to the Dettah Ice Road.
The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage will host a discussion on both Northern food production solutions and the legacy of Treaty 11, as well as demonstrations of traditional Inuit sports and crafts.
Finally, the couple will make their way to the Ceremonial Circle, where a plaque will be unveiled, a Canadian Platinum Jubilee flag will be raised, and plants to be included in the NWT’s Platinum Jubilee Garden will be presented to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years of reign. The Prince of Wales is expected to make closing remarks on the visit.
The couple will bid farewell to the Northwest Territories, and to Canada, around 6:30 in the evening.
Before arriving in the NWT, Charles and Camilla will start their visit in St. John’s, followed by a day in the national capital. Activities in St. John’s will include a welcome ceremony at the Confederation Building and a visit to the Quidi Vidi fishing village; The Ottawa visit will include a wreath laying ceremony at the National War Memorial and a meeting with the Ukrainian community at a local Cathedral.
Kwong, said the three locations were chosen to “[make] sure there’s good representation and and balance where the visits occur.”
“So having a combination there of places that haven’t been visited, and trying to make sure there’s the balance of all the different provinces and territories that the royal family does visit.”
The Prince of Wales last visited the Northwest Territories in 1979. He has traveled to Canada five times since 2001, last visiting with his wife in 2017.