Canada tour making of us - duke

8 July 2011 Last updated at 08:20 GMT The royal couple tried new cowboy headgear in Calgary

The Duke of Cambridge has suggested the royal tour of Canada has been the making of him and his new wife.

On the final stop of their nine-day trip in Calgary, the duke said the visit "far surpassed" expectations.

The duke spoke at the Calgary Stampede rodeo festival where they watched bucking bulls and were given traditional 10 gallon hats.

The couple leave Canada on Friday for California where they will attend a black tie Bafta dinner.

'Beautiful country'

On Thursday, the duke and duchess joined Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a reception ahead of the rodeo, appropriately dressed in cowboy shirts, boots and jeans.

The royal couple arrived riding on top of a stagecoach through cheering crowds.

William wore a blue and green checked shirt and Catherine a white blouse with a pattern by Alice Temperley.

The duke told guests: "In 1939, my great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, said of her first tour of Canada with her husband, King George VI, 'Canada made us'.

"Catherine and I now know very well what she meant. Canada has far surpassed all that we were promised. Our promise to Canada is that we shall return."

He continued: "I can only say that the experience of this past seven days has exceeded all our expectations.

"We have been hugely struck by the diversity of this beautiful country - from Ottawa to Quebec, from Prince Edward Island to the Northwest Territories, and now the excitement of Calgary."

Hat ceremony

Mr Harper praised the royal couple, telling them: "Your visit has helped introduce a whole new generation of Canadians to the important role of the Crown in the history and governance of our great country.

The Duchess of Cambridge met six-year-old Diamond Marshall

"Exactly 60 years ago, Canadians were similarly enchanted and enthralled when then Princess Elizabeth embarked upon her first tour of this country."

The custom-made white Smithbilt cowboy hats presented to the royal couple in a ceremony known as "white-hatting" are symbolic of the city, which built its wealth from cattle.

On previous royal visits William's father the Prince of Wales and grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh have been presented with the hats.

Six-year-old Diamond Marshall, who has cancer, was at Calgary International Airport with her father Lyall, 37, and stepmother Danielle, 32.

Lyall wrote to the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada to try to make her dream of meeting a "princess" come true - which happened with the help of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.

The duchess, wearing a primrose silk crepe dress by Jenny Packham, crouched down to chat to Diamond.

"She looks as fancy as she does on TV," was the young girl's verdict after meeting the duchess.

Before arriving in Calgary, the duke and duchess took a 24-hour break in a remote log cabin in the Canadian Rockies.

They made an unscheduled stop to visit Slave Lake, Alberta, where more than a third of the town was burned by a wildfire on 15 May, which led to the evacuation of Slave Lake's 7,000 residents.

The royal couple had a private meeting with some of the families who were affected.

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View from Canada

2 July 2011 Last updated at 13:10 GMT The royal couple are on their first official tour as a married couple It's day three of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's tour to Canada. What are commentators making of it so far?

Canadian blogger Lainey Gossip gets swept away and describes the young couple as "rock stars", commenting on how Prince William was guiding Kate through public appearances.

Andrew Cohen, of the Ottawa Citizen, agrees the duke and duchess are "sensational" and "seem without ego or airs".

But he argues their popularity should not confuse the republican debate.

"Let's understand something; an adult discussion about the future of the monarchy in Canada isn't about William and Kate... In Canada, it isn't the monarchy that matters," he said.

"It's celebrity. And William and Kate are celebrities, pure and simple."

However, Toronto's Globe and Mail says the visit is "no mere celebrity" event. It says their itinerary and engagements illustrate that.

"Ordinary celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would not present themselves to the public for days on end.... not even the Kardashian sisters would be so generous with their time; this is much more than a reality TV show.

"William and Catherine are here for us as citizens; they are part of Canada's Royal Family, part of Canada's history, part of Canada's present, and also its future."

Thousands greeted the royal couple as part of celebrations to mark Canada Day

As the couple head to French-speaking Quebec, CBC News's Roland Lindala-Haumont says the province's relationship with the monarchy "has often been strained".

He quotes Montreal Gazette's Bill Brownstein as saying: "The likelihood that William and Kate's visit will reverse Quebecers' ennui with the monarchy is slim."

Comment pages on news sites are alive with the debate.

On the CTV website, a user called Trudy said: "This is part of Canada's history, something we don't get to see very often. Yes it is costing money, but every so often I do believe that it is ok, to spend extra money to display the proud history of this country."

While Yan wrote: "This idea of class society we inherit from the British should be abolished long time ago. However, Canadians not only keep it, but also adore it. We like Kate and William whom we never met not because they are nice, but because they are rich.

"Canadians know more about Kate's dress than the human being Kate."

Royal style

And, inevitably, a lot is being made of Catherine's style.

Kate's choices of wearing Erdem (l) and recycling her engagement photos dress proved popular

Milliner Mary Jane Baxter tweeted: "Am loving Kate's red percher hat with a sassy maple leaf design. Perfect 4 her Canada trip".

The Montreal Gazette was thrilled she wore Canadian designers, including a lace overlay dress by Montreal-born Erdem.

The designer himself told the Gazette: "We're so excited!" and confirmed that it was the first time she has worn one of his designs.

Fashion Canada Magazine tweeted: "We'll never gloat again, but can we just get props for predicting that Kate would arrive wearing Erdem?"

The Toronto Star says Kate is a "royal recycler" as the "ever practical" duchess wore the creamy white Reiss dress she originally wore for her engagement photos.

Fashion reporter Derick Chetty noted the style cue taken from the Queen, as the then Princess Elizabeth also wore the same Maple Leaf brooch the first time she visited Canada in 1951.

The "patriotic spin" of the red and white outfit made her a "great ambassadress for international relations", he added.

Diana comparisons

Across the border, the New York Times draws comparisons to Princess Diana's inaugural visit in 1983 to Canada.

It says although the thousands in the crowd could not match the crushing scale of 28 years ago, they were loud and enthusiastic, repeatedly chanting the duchess's name.

And American comedian Joan Rivers can't help join in, tweeting: "Will and Kate are in Canada. Kate used to have a summer home, now she has a summer country."

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Royals attend Canada Day events

1 July 2011 Last updated at 19:37 GMT Huge crowds turn out to see William and Kate in Ottawa

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are attending events marking Canada Day, on their second day in the country.

At a citizenship ceremony near Ottawa, the royal couple presented national flags to 25 new Canadians, who had come from 12 different countries.

The duchess wore a white dress and red hat - the colours of Canada's flag - and the Queen's maple leaf brooch.

The royal pair are also taking part in Noon Show celebrations, a music and pageantry event in the capital.

The duke and duchess travelled in a horse-drawn landau to Noon Show on Parliament Hill, where 300,000 people were said to have gathered.

Friday is a national holiday in Canada and marks the country's 144th birthday.

Continue reading the main story At the scene Peter Hunt Royal correspondent

For a second day the duke and duchess have been wrapped in a warm Canadian embrace in a country celebrating its 144th birthday and which has the British/Canadian crown at its heart.

The large crowd on Ottawa's Parliament Hill has cheered and chanted: "Will and Kate". But are they excited because their future king and queen are in their midst or because they view the couple as celebrities at the top of the celebrity tree? Possibly a mix of the two.

Despite polls suggesting up to half of the population want to move on from what one writer has called "the anachronistic foreignness of the whole institution", there is no real political desire to change the status quo. That means Prince William, whose mother, Diana, would have been 50 today, will return here one day as Canada's monarch.

The event, which was also attended by Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, included anthems, a flypast by military aircraft display team the Snowbirds and a link-up with Canadian forces in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

In a speech, the prince talked about Kate's "wonderful" grandfather, who trained in Canada as a pilot in the Second World War, and he extended the "warmest wishes" from the Queen of Canada.

He also highlighted how the Canadian Forces were ending their combat role in Afghanistan this month.

"This draws to a close an episode of which all Canadians can be immensely proud," he said.

Later, the royal couple will attend a music concert before a private diplomatic reception where they will watch a firework finale marking the national day.

In what is their first official overseas tour, the couple are visiting seven Canadian cities in nine days.

Canada has created a new royal flag for the visit, which features three maple leaves, from Canada's national tree, at its base.

The flag flew from the cockpit of the jet carrying the royal couple when it touched down from the UK on Thursday afternoon local time. It will also fly from their cars, and buildings they are visiting or staying in.

The visit will be closely followed by the media, with nearly 1,400 journalists - including about 100 from Britain - accredited to cover the visit.

Continue reading the main story 30 June: Arrival in Ottawa1 July: Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa2 July: Visit to a cookery school in Montreal3 July: Freedom of the city ceremony in Quebec City4 July: Prince William takes part in Sea King helicopter training session on Prince Edward Island5 July: Visit to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories7 July: Arrival in Calgary8 July: Attend Calgary Stampede. Leave for USThe Duchess of Cambridge has reportedly packed up to 40 different outfits for the tour, including some by French and Canadian labels.

The Queen's maple leaf broach, which Kate pinned to her white Reiss dress at the citizenship ceremony, was worn in 1951 by the then Princess Elizabeth on her first visit to Canada.

The cost of the visit to the Canadian government, not including security, is estimated to be 1.4 million Canadian dollars (?958,580).

A poll commissioned by the Toronto Star newspaper found that more than half the 18 to 34 year-olds questioned about the visit were indifferent about the trip.

The duke and duchess will travel to the US state of California for two days from 8 July, attending a black-tie Bafta reception and dinner in Los Angeles on 9 July. Prince William is Bafta's president.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt says Canada is a safe first visit for a royal spreading her wings, while US residents continue to be fascinated by Britain's royalty.

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