Victoria will be home base for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children when they visit British Columbia for the first time this weekend and there will be several opportunities to see the Royal Family in the capital city, some more convenient than others.
Prince William and his wife, Kate, arrive on Vancouver Island with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron at the Victoria International Airport at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The royal arrival is not open to the public. A small group of dignitaries will greet the Royal Family as they disembark, said a provincial spokesperson.
The royal entourage will head to Government House for a short stop — possibly to drop off the children. Route and motorcade escort plans are under wraps for security reasons, so any welcomers hoping to get a look or royal wave along the highway are betting on luck.
The entourage will then head to the legislature for a welcoming ceremony, starting about 5 p.m.
“There will likely be heightened security. They don’t publicize routes,” said Kenneth Christie, head of human security and peacebuilding studies at Royal Roads University.
It’s unlikely they’d be travelling in an easily identifiable car, such as a Rolls-Royce. It would be more likely a discreet armoured Range Rover, or something like that, he said.
Christie said public attacks on the Royal Family are rare — the last one was in 1994 when someone shot blanks at Prince Charles during a speech in Sydney, Australia.
Security has been stepped for the Royal Family since ISIS said Britain is a target, said Christie, noting a special section of London’s Metropolitan Police Service called Protection Command is responsible for royal security at home and overseas.
Victoria police and the RCMP are providing local security and are responsible for the costs, according to Heritage Canada.
Victoria police said there will be traffic delays “from time to time” and road closures. Road closures around the Saturday welcoming will be similar to those at Canada Day celebrations and Symphony Splash, said the City of Victoria.
Christie said the best bet to see the Royal Family will be at public events, where they are known to greet crowds.
Those wanting to wave a British, Canadian or B.C. flag at the Saturday welcoming should act soon. Paul Servos, owner of the Flag Shop in Victoria, said he has already sold thousands of Union Jacks, small and large.
“It’s been a combination of royal enthusiasts and lots of businesses,” he said. A fellow who lives near the airport plans to decorate his front yard with flags, the harbour ferries will be decked out in Union Jacks, and Tourism Victoria nearly cleaned out his stock, Servos said.
The royal couple will likely be greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who extended the official invitation, and Gov. Gen. David Johnston.
Premier Christy Clark will represent the province, as will B.C.’s representative to the Queen, Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon. Guichon will host the Royal Family at her Government House residence on Rockland Avenue for the week. It will be closed to the public from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2.
The legislature ceremony will include a dance and song by members of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.
Heritage Canada said full military honours will be given to Prince William. These include a Royal Canadian Navy Guard of Honour, the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, and a 21-gun royal salute provided by Fifth British Columbia Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.
The Duke and Duchess will lay a wreath at the cenotaph to honour Canadian military service and acknowledge a plaque commemorating the Afghanistan mission. Prince William will address the audience.
After the one-hour ceremony, the Royal Family will meet with the Governor General and prime minister at Government House.
The next opportunity to catch a glimpse of Prince William and Kate will be Sunday at 10 a.m. when they are to depart from the Inner Harbour seaplane terminal for Vancouver.
Royal watchers will have to wait until the following weekend for a public event.
Events during the week are invitation-only. These include an aboriginal reconciliation ceremony and reception at Government House, a children’s party with military families at Government House, a tour and monument dedication at the Cridge Centre for the Family and a meeting with a mental health non-profit group at the Breakwater Cafe.
Ogden Point and the Inner Harbour will be the next prime spots to see the royal couple on Saturday, Oct. 1. Prince William and Kate are scheduled to board the tall ship Pacific Grace with members of the Sail and Life Training Society (SALTS) around 11:30 a.m.
The royal couple will hoist the sails and take a turn steering the ship as they meet with youth from the national mental health charity Jack.org for about an hour. They will then dock at Ship Point and take a few hours to prepare for their official departure ceremony from the seaplane terminal about 3:40 p.m.
spetrescu@timescolonist.com
