Words can be hollow and gestures empty, but when King Charles speaks about his love for Canada, I believe every single word.

I watched the Speech from the Throne with tears in my eyes. He may not live here. We may not think about the fact that our head of state lives an ocean away until he announces he’s coming for a visit. But King Charles believes in Canada, stands up for Canada, loves Canada. It’s undeniable.

Said the King: “It is with a sense of deep pride and pleasure that my wife and I join you here today, as we witness Canadians coming together in a renewed sense of national pride, unity, and hope.”

The rhetoric over the past few months has been stressful and exhausting. It’s harrowing to watch the prices fluctuate at the grocery store, to watch the tariffs seesaw back and forth—off, on, back off, back on but higher, off again, on again—and to know that there are people down there who think we want to become the 51^st state. Nobody wants that. But despite this, we’ve proven how strong we are. How quickly we can unite. At every turn, Canadians have stood up against the rhetoric and have reminded those who seek to destroy us that we have our sovereignty and we’re proud people.

That’s why I believe it was a stroke of genius for King Charles to come and deliver the Speech from the Throne. It highlighted once and for all—maybe most definitively—how unique Canada is. We may share a continent, but we couldn’t be more different. The perks of being a constitutional monarchy outweigh those of being a republic, in my opinion. In this format, there’s no power vacuum. There’s no constant back and forth. And the soft diplomacy is so beneficial.

With a single speech, King Charles reinforced Canadian sovereignty. With a single carriage ride, replete with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police musical ride, an honour guard, and a saluting dais, he reinforced what makes us unique. Pomp and pageantry. His meetings with our Governor General, our Prime Minister, our Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners, our Indigenous, Inuit and Métis leaders showcased our many cultures and the beauty in our diversity. Dropping a hockey puck during a street game. Planting a tree at Rideau Hall. Calling back to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s successful and enduring relationship with Canada. With his own.

In his own words: ‘Every time I come to Canada… a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream – and from there straight to my heart.’ 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.”

In conclusion, King Charles said, “As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!” this, in my opinion, should become another rallying cry, much like “Elbows up!” has become. We are strong and free. Nothing will change that. It brought tears to my eyes.

Every time a member of the Royal Family visits Canada, we get the same old, same old from the media: is anyone going to show up? Why would Canadians—or Australians, New Zealanders, and so on, and so on—show up for a ‘foreign king’ or a ‘foreign queen?’ Why do they care? Won’t it be embarrassing for the royals if they get a tepid welcome?

Well, we proved them wrong. We always prove them wrong when it comes to Canada. There will never not be a crowd for King Charles and Queen Camilla, or the new Prince and Princess of Wales, who we welcomed like rock stars in 2011 and 2017. Queen Elizabeth II drew crowds most would dream of. Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Kents, the Gloucesters, they all get great receptions. The Queen Mother, once upon a time. Even Princess Margaret, who undertook a country-wide tour in 1958, got the red carpet treatment everywhere she went. My grandmother still talks about how she stood on the side of the road and waved at her as she drove through her tiny town.

But to us, these aren’t foreign members of a royal family meant to be gawked at. We welcome them, we show them respect, and, as the Governor General said as King Charles arrived, we say, “Welcome home, Your Majesties.”

Canada is as much King Charles’s home as it is mine. To see him want to protect it, to stand up for its sovereignty the way he did, is admirable. I will never forget what this moment has meant to me and to Canada. Whatever comes next, whenever he visits again, we’ll be there to welcome him.

“Until the next time, au revoir, Canada, et avec tous nos remerciements.” Charles III said as he departed physically from Canada.

Until next time, King Charles. Thank you.