A decade ago, a portrait of the British monarch caused tension in his political scene Canada. Now, the king was invited to speak. What changed?

In 2011, the BBC notes, shortly after the formation of a conservative majority government, Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper caused a national upheaval when he tried to emphasize Canada’s ties with the British monarchy. In an example, he replaced two works of art of a painter from Quebec with a queen portrait.

Some have criticized the gesture as incompatible with modern times. Canada, throughout his 157 -year history, sought his growing independence from the British monarchy, but remains part of the Commonwealth.

When liberal Prime Minister Justin Trinto succeeded Harper four years later, the queen’s portrait left, while the painter’s paintings from Quebec returned.

Arriving at 2025, a paradoxical change has occurred in Canada’s relationship with the crown. In a transparent demonstration of Canada’s sovereignty and independence against US President Donald Trump’s threats, Prime Minister Mark Carney – a liberal – invited the King Charles III to send a historical speech to parliament.

This move is “a huge confirmation and a statement about the uniqueness of Canada and its traditions,” Justin Vovk, a Canadian royal historian, told the BBC. It is “a theatrical demonstration that aims to show what makes Canadians stand out from the Americans” and not, as Trump has often reiterated, that it is “51st State”.

Both countries are former British colonies, but the founders of America followed a different path and interrupted all the official ties with the crown almost 250 years ago.

The separation of Canada from the monarchy was gradually made and the bonds never broke completely. The Canadian parliamentary system is the Westminster System system in Britain. The British monarch is still typically the head of state, but his duties are often performed by his spokesman in Canada, called the General Governor.

Faith in the crown was considered important to Canada’s politicians in the 19th century, who wanted to maintain the separation from the US, said Canadian Royal historian and commentator Carolyn Harris.

This changed later in the 1960s, as Quebec – the majority of French -speaking province of Canada – began to claim its own separate identity and threatened with separation. This led to a time of policies such as Lester B Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who worked to release Canada from his British colonial past.

In 1982, Prime Minister Pierre Trinto revised the Canadian Constitution, giving full legislative power to the federal government and the provinces and removing it from the British Parliament.

Harris noted that Canada remained a constitutional monarchy at all times. What was ranging, however, was how much the prime minister chose to embrace this connection.

Carney’s invitation to King Charles III shows that his government will be much more supportive to the crown, Vovk said, giving a “very different tone” than the previous liberals.

A British monarch has been speaking in Canada since 1977 and has been opening a brand new parliamentary meeting since 1957, which makes the imminent visit of the king a truly historical visit. And it comes at an important moment for Canada.

Carney made a strong election campaign against Trump after the US president spent months undermining Canada’s sovereignty saying it would be better as a US state.

Trump also imposed a series of tariffs that threaten Canada’s financial stability, as the US is by far the country’s largest trading partner.

When he announced the visit last month, Carney described it as “a historical price that responds to the weight of our time”. He added that the King’s visit “underlines the sovereignty of our country”.

Both historians, Vovk and Harris, noted that most of Canada’s modern population is indifferent to the British monarchy. Some even criticize it.

The coronation of King Charles III in 2023 reinstated the issue of the historical abuse of indigenous people from the crown to Canada and questions about whether the new monarch will move towards reconciliation.

Quebec politicians are also still asking Canada to interrupt his ties with the monarchy. On Friday, the Bloc Québécois party said it would again seek to abolish the need for the King to swear to the king of the elected officials.

Some Canadians will be impressed by the splendor and grandeur of the king’s visit, Vovk said, but the main purpose of the visit is to send a political message from Canada to the world.

It is also a way for Prime Minister Carney to improve his relationship with Trump, who is known to be a fan of British monarchy and history.

“Strengthening the relationship with the monarchy gives a stamp of legality that goes beyond the individual parties and the current political climate,” Vovk said. “Politicians are coming and leaving, but the monarchy has always remained stable.”

It also brings Canada closer to Europe – a key goal of Carney, who has talked about the need for Canada to find new allies.

The visit is also remarkable for the crown. It will be King’s first visit to Canada as a monarch. He and the queen intended to visit him last year, but canceled their plans because of his diagnosis of cancer.

The palace promised a speech that would “signal an important moment between the leader of the state and the Canadian people”.

And while the trip will be short – the king and the queen will arrive on Monday morning and depart on Tuesday night – the palace hopes the journey will have an “impact”.