King Charles bids farewell to "a people we love" as he departs Canada for the first time as King

After a whirlwind visit to the Commonwealth realm of Canada, King Charles bid farewell to a country and a people who gave him and his queen “the warmest of welcomes.”  

Mere hours after he delivered the Speech from the Throne at the Opening of the Canadian Parliament, King Charles and Queen Camilla were already back in the air, back to the United Kingdom, less than 24 hours after they’d arrived in Canada.

“As my wife and I leave Canada,” the King shared on social media, “we wanted to send our most heartfelt thanks to all those who turned out to offer their support on this, my first visit as Sovereign.”

King Charles said that this whirlwind trip had been “the fondest of returns to a land and a people we love.”

In his Throne Speech, the King touched upon this sentiment. King Charles has been visiting Canada consistently since the 1970s, and this visit marked his 20th time visiting Canada.

“As I have said before, ‘Every time I come to Canada… a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream – and from there straight to my heart,’” the King said. “I have always had the greatest admiration for Canada’s unique identity, which is recognized across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defence of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians.”

After the Throne Speech, King Charles and Queen Camilla paid a visit to the National War Memorial, where they laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Their social media account captioned the moment: “We remember all those who lost their lives in service to their country.”

Finally, back to the airport, for one last look back at the realm that welcomed them so warmly.

The British Royal Family social media accounts shared a photo of King Charles and Queen Camilla waving goodbye to Canadians as they boarded the Airbus CC-330 Husky that belongs to the Royal Canadian Air Force—their return airplane, sent to and from Canada to transport the King and Queen—in a message shared in both of Canada’s official languages, English and French.

“Until the next time, au revoir, Canada, et avec tous nos remerciements.”