King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands arrived in St. John's, NL, ahead of the official start of their state visit to Canada. They were welcomed at the airport by lieutenant-governor Frank Fagan and premier Paul Davis. The royal couple had a brief meeting with both of them and their wives at Hangar 1. It was too short, we had so much to talk about Mr Fagan said after his encounter with the Dutch King.
King Willem-Alexander told Premier Davis he had visited Newfoundland and more particularly St John's before, in 1986 when he was serving in the Royal Dutch Navy. He was happy to be back and remarked on the icebergs he saw from the plane's cockpit when approaching the island.
The royal couple will spend the night at the Sheraton hotel in St John's before continuing their trip to Ottawa, where they will be welcomed at Rideau Hall, in an official ceremonyt by governor-general David Johnston and his wife. The king and queen will keep a busy schedule in the federal capital, including a wreath laying at the National Monument, a meeting with veterans, and a visit to Parliament Hill. The day will be concluded with a state banquet at Rideau Hall.
On Thursday and Friday the royal visitors will head to Waterloo, Kitchener, Beamsville and Toronto before flying to the United States for an official visit and a meeting with president Barack Obama. (C) Royalblog Exclusive from St John's
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