News
TRH tour Ontario
5th November 2009
The Duchess of Cornwall travelled with The Prince of Wales into the heart of Ontario for a guided tour of the magnificent Dundurn Castle in Hamilton, home of Her Royal Highness’s great-great-great-grandfather, Sir Allan Napier MacNab.
When The Prince and The Duchess arrived at the castle they were greeted by hundreds of cheering locals, some clutching posies to give to The Duchess.
TRH were welcomed into Sir Allan's former home by curator Ken Heaman who pointed at a portrait of The Duchess’s ancestor and told her: “I would like to introduce you to your great, great, great grandfather.”
He added: “I think he would be thrilled to see you here today.”
Sir Allan was a soldier, lawyer, businessman and politician who rose to become Premier of the Canadas in the 1850s and was one of the last men to hold the post before the confederation was formed that heralded the establishment of modern Canada.
Before leaving, The Duchess was presented with a tie and a shawl made from MacNab tartan.
The Prince and The Duchess then travelled to the site of a nearby historic warship which is used as a museum and sea cadet training vessel.
HMCS Haida is known as the "fightingest ship in the Royal Canadian Navy" as it has sunk more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian vessel.
TRH were taken to a pair of the ship's guns and given the honour of firing a blank round each.
The Prince later opened the new visitor and education centre at Niagara College which showcases the Ontario and Canadian wine industry. The college runs a winery and viticulture technical programme that teaches students all aspects of winemaking.
After meeting some of the students and staff, The Prince tried some of the products of their hard labour and was presented with some of Canada’s famous ice wine to take home.
In the evening, The Prince and The Duchess attended the Colours Presentation for the Royal Regiment of Canada and The Toronto Scottish Regiment at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium.
The Prince, who wore his Royal Regiment of Canada's ceremonial colonel uniform complete with bearskin, paid tribute to soldiers from both units gathered in Toronto's Varsity Stadium.
He said: "As we gather together to celebrate this special occasion, we remember generations past and the immense courage, service and sacrifice shown by your forebears over more than a century."
"Today, both of your regiments continue in the finest traditions of your predecessors, only this time you have been deployed to other regions of the world including the Golan Heights, Sudan and, of course, Afghanistan."
When The Prince became Colonel-in-Chief of the Toronto Scottish (Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother's Own) he was following in the footsteps of his grandmother who was associated with the regiment for 63 years.