King Charles III delivered the throne speech at the opening of Parliament in Canada, outlining the government’s priorities for the current session.
Speaking in Ottawa, the King addressed the state of relations with the United States on behalf of new Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney’s Liberals won the general election in April, during a campaign marked by US President Donald Trump’s threats towards Canadian sovereignty.
As Canada’s head of state, the King stated that the country’s relationships with global partners were evolving—especially with the US—while reaffirming the sovereignty of both nations.
King Charles III became the first monarch in 50 years to open the Canadian Parliament with a throne speech, which included several significant points.
“When my dear late mother addressed your predecessors seven decades ago, she said that in that age, and against the backdrop of international affairs, no nation could live unto itself,” Charles said, recalling Queen Elizabeth II’s speech to Parliament in 1957.
The address subtly referred to concerns about Trump, his tariffs, and his remarks likening Canada to the US's “51st state”—comments that have unsettled many Canadians.
The King spoke of witnessing a renewal of "national pride, unity and hope" in Canada. Reflecting on receiving the Order of Canada medal, he said, “Every time I come to Canada a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream—and from there straight to my heart.”
Prime Minister Carney had invited the King to help reinforce Canada’s sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy shaped by British, French, and Indigenous traditions.
Polls show the King’s popularity is rising, with growing public support for maintaining strong ties with the Crown amid Trump’s annexation rhetoric.
Trump previously launched a trade war against Canada and threatened to make the country America’s “51st state.”
“Many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them. Fundamental change is always unsettling. Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity—an opportunity for renewal. An opportunity to think big and to act bigger. An opportunity for Canada to embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War,” the King said.
He added that Canada has the potential to shape its future more effectively than any foreign power. Staying true to its values, the nation could forge new alliances and build an economy that serves all Canadians.
The Canada–US relationship will be re-evaluated alongside domestic priorities such as building a more affordable Canada by reducing income tax and GST for first-time home buyers, removing internal trade barriers to promote free trade, and fast-tracking nationally significant projects. Public safety will also be prioritised through tougher border security and the appointment of more police officers.
King Charles was accompanied by Queen Camilla during the visit. Thousands lined Wellington Street to greet the royal couple, shouting “God save the King,” “Thank you for coming, Sir,” and “We love you, Charles.”
The King inspected a 100-member military guard of honour from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. The Royal Canadian Air Force band played O Canada, with the crowd singing along.
The monarch left the Senate smiling, shaking hands and greeting the public warmly.
Prince Andrew attends a Requiem Mass, a Catholic funeral service, for the late Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral in London on September 16, 2025. (Photo by AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PRINCE ANDREW on Friday (17) renounced his title of Duke of York under pressure from his brother King Charles, amid further revelations about his ties to US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"I will... no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me," Andrew, 65, said in a bombshell announcement.
He said his decision came after discussions with the head of state, King Charles III.
"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first," Andrew said in a statement sent out by Buckingham Palace.
He again denied all allegations of wrongdoing, but said "We have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family."
Andrew, who stepped back from public life in 2019 amid the Epstein scandal, will remain a prince, as he is the second son of the late queen Elizabeth II.
But he will no longer hold the title of Duke of York that she had conferred on him.
UK media reported that he would also give up membership of the prestigious Order of the Garter, the most senior knighthood in the British honours system, which dates to 1348.
Prince Andrew (L) and King Charles III. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will also no longer use the title of Duchess of York, though his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie remain princesses.
Andrew has become a source of deep embarrassment for his brother Charles, following a devastating 2019 television interview in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.
Epstein took his own life in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex.
In the interview, Andrew vowed he had cut ties in 2010 with Epstein, who was disgraced after an American woman, Virginia Giuffre, accused him of using her as a sex slave.
But in an reported exchange that emerged in UK media this week, Andrew told the convicted sex offender in 2011 that they were "in this together" when a photo of the prince with his arm around Giuffre was published.
But he added the two would "play together soon".
Giuffre, a US and Australian citizen, took her own life at her farm in Western Australia on April 25.
"The monarchy simply had to put a stop to it," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the BBC. "He has dishonoured his titles, he's in disgrace."
Andrew was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and shuffled off into retirement after Giuffre accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
New allegations emerged this week in Giuffre's posthumous memoir in which she wrote that Andrew had behaved as if having sex with her was his "birthright".
In "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice", to be published next week, Giuffre wrote she had sex with Andrew on three separate occasions, including when she was under 18.
Andrew has repeatedly denied Giuffre's accusations and avoided a trial in a civil lawsuit by paying a multimillion-dollar settlement.
FILE PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein poses for a sex offender mugshot after being charged with procuring a minor for prostitution on July 25, 2013 in Florida. (Photo by Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images)
In extracts published by The Guardian newspaper this week, Giuffre described meeting the prince in London in March 2001 when she was 17.
Andrew was allegedly challenged to guess her age, which he did correctly, adding by way of explanation: "My daughters are just a little younger than you."
The once-popular royal was hailed a hero when he flew as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War.
Internationally, he was best known for his 1986 wedding to Ferguson, boosting support for the centuries-old institution five years after his elder brother Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.
Andrew has also become embroiled in a China spying scandal, and The Daily Telegraph revealed on Thursday (16) that he had met three times in 2018 and 2019 with a top Chinese official reportedly at the centre of the case.
The Epstein case also caught up with Ferguson, 65, last month, when an email from 2011 emerged in which she called Epstein a "supreme friend" and sought forgiveness for "letting him down".
She had vowed in the past to "never have anything to do with" Epstein again and called a £15,000 ($20,000) loan the billionaire had made to her "a gigantic error of judgement".
York City councillor Darryl Smalley said the city had lobbied hard for Andrew to drop the title.
"It's obviously a long time coming, but finally they recognised what a massive liability he is," he said.
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