BANFF – Banff’s Karen Sorensen got to experience the pomp and circumstance of King Charles III’s visit to Canada to deliver the speech from the throne in a dramatic display of solidarity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats against Canadian sovereignty.
A Canadian Senator for almost four years now, Sorensen was delighted to be in the Red Chamber Tuesday (May 27) during the King’s throne speech, which is typically read by the governor general, and is the first time a monarch has done so since Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, and only the third time in history.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to have been appointed to the Senate, and days like this, I just shake my head and think how did this happen?” said Sorensen.
“There was such a renewed sense of national pride and unity.”
This was King Charles’ 20th visit to Canada, spread over the course of more than 50 years, and his first as sovereign since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September, 2022.
The King spoke of the unprecedented challenges Canada and the world is currently facing, including threats against Canadian sovereignty from the United States.
With a lot of reference to Canadian sovereignty throughout the 30-minute throne speech, which outlines the government’s agenda as a new session of parliament opens, King Charles said: “As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free.”
At those remarks by the King, Sorensen said those in the Senate chamber erupted into applause and offered a rousing standing ovation even though they had been instructed to remain completely quiet throughout.
“We’re not allowed to make a peep, but it was quite close to the end of the speech where he did say the True North is indeed strong and free. I don’t know who started to clap in that room – even though we’re not supposed to – but it was an uproarious applause,” she said.
“It was very, very emotional and Prime Minister (Mark) Carney was smiling and it went on and on and on and it was just a real moment for everybody in that room, thinking about the reasons that the King was there, I think it was all of us just letting that energy out in that moment.”
Sorensen said the visit by King Charles, who was accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, was timely given the current political climate in Canada’s relations with the United States.
While the Royal Family typically remains neutral on politics, she said she believes the King’s words moved in a political direction as much as he possibly could, noting she felt a strong sense of unity, particularly around Canada's feelings of betrayal from the United States.
“It’s like your friend showed up and said ‘we’ve always been with you and we’re still with you’,” she said.
“Symbolically, it reaffirms the monarchy’s constitutional role in Canada and it was a significant gesture of a renewed relationship with the monarch and that sense that the rest of the world is watching.
“They are opening their arms to Canada.”
Former prime ministers were invited to the event, with the likes of Stephen Harper, a Conservative who served as Canada’s 22nd prime minister from 2006-2015, and Justin Trudeau, a Liberal who was the 23rd prime minister from 2015 until his resignation in 2025, sitting together and sharing laughs and conversation.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, was also in attendance.
Sorensen said moments like these also speak to the strong sense of unity of Canada.
“In moments like that, partisanship doesn’t matter, and I take great pride in that,” she said.
Sorensen said the proceedings leading up to an during the King's visit to the Senate were very traditional, which included travelling in a ceremonial horse-drawn carriage escorted by RCMP officers in red serge on horses through the Parliamentary precinct in Ottawa ahead of the speech from the throne.
“I will say that the King and Queen have been very gracious with their connection to people; they’re making themselves very available.”
The King and Queen’s visit to Canada was short, flying into Ottawa on Monday and departing Canada for the United Kingdom on Tuesday afternoon.
Sorensen said of King Charles, who is still battling a cancer diagnosis: “He looked very well. He looked very healthy.”
On a personal note, one of the more memorable moments for Sorensen was meeting Margaret Trudeau, the mother of Justin Trudeau, the prime minister who appointed Sorensen to the Canadian Senate.
“I had a chance to say hello to her and found myself quite emotional meeting her,” said Sorensen, who burst into tears at the time.
“I would have been 12 or 13 and I remember admiring her. She was such an interesting person to watch and I would say she was before her time and she was a force.”
