Plans in Canada to protest King Charles and Camilla’s visit to the country next year are a “pity” amid fears a backlash in North America will fuel further demonstrations.
Speaking to Daily Express US, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams described how past royal tours were mostly positive for the Firm – but there has been a change in tone in recent years.
He said: “Unfortunately because of what happened to the Waleses in the Caribbean and then to some extent – though he handled it very well – King Charles in Kenya, people are now focusing on the negative.”
Fitzwilliams worries that public displays of opposition and a news media hungry for anti-monarchy stories will only lead to further demonstrations against the Royal Family.
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“The moment that happens it means there’ll be more protests because they get publicity,” he said.
“Whether or not the protest is legitimate or not is another matter.
“But I do think it is a pity, because these are such valuable trips, and for most people they’re a matter of rejoicing.”
He continued: “What I hope isn’t the case, and I fear it may be, is that people put the accent on the negative because that’s what gets publicity, headlines, and that of course means that there are more protesters.”
The King is reportedly being prepared to face protests in the country, following polls that suggest its citizens are turning against the monarchy.
The Queen will accompany King Charles for the tour in May, which is expected to last a week.
Foreign Office officials have reportedly been working closely with the King’s aides to come up with a plan for the trip that will see the royals coming under as little opposition as possible.
Sources with knowledge of the planned visit have told the Mirror that initial discussions have “raised concerns” over the reception the King and Queen will get.
Insiders said the organizers for the trip are “acutely aware” it is likely to be “a huge test of his popularity” as he visits a British realm as monarch for the first time.
Recent polls in Canada revealed over 81 percent of residents say they don’t feel attached to the monarchy, with just 14 percent saying they did.
Before Charles’s coronation in May, CDC, Canada’s national broadcaster, led a survey that suggested 60 percent are opposed to Charles being recognised as King of Canada.
Data from the Angus Reid Institute also showed only 28 percent say they have a favourable view of the king, while almost half – 48 percent – do not.
The data also revealed 63 percent of Canadians believe that the country should “rethink ties to King Charles III”, and protests at royal events appear to be on the rise.
The Cambridges’ visit to the Caribbean in March last year was overshadowed by passionate opposition to the monarchy.
An engagement in Belize on the first day was hurriedly scrapped following a protest by some locals, with another on the day they arrived in Jamaica.
Meanwhile, King Charles’s expression of “greatest sorrow and deepest regret” over colonial atrocities British forces committed in Kenya during a visit in late October was met with a mixed reception in the east African country.
Historians and human rights groups said they were unimpressed by the monarch’s “careful choice of words”, and that the two countries had to “move beyond platitudes”.