As King Charles prepares to host Donald Trump for a full state visit in September, questions have flared about Trump’s unwelcome suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state.

The Crown’s relationship with Canada is complex and steeped in history. The nation has been occupied for thousands of years by Aboriginal People, and the territories which now form Canada came under British power at various times by settlement, war or cession.

The US president has repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the 51st US state and has made several statements about the country’s sovereignty and trade tariffs. 

If Canada did become a state under Trump’s suggestion, Charles would no longer be the King of Canada and Canada’s Head of State. 

But this is not the first time there has been debate about whether the monarchy still holds a place in Canada.  

Some speculated that the death of Queen Elizabeth II would be the moment to replace Canada’s monarchy with a president.

But following the queen’s death in September 2022, Canada’s Prime Minister at the time, Justin Trudeau, stated that the monarchy’s role in Canada was not open for debate and did not see Canada replacing its monarchy in the near future.

Charles’s invitation for Trump to visit later this year has sparked controversy after the president’s 2019 visit to meet the Queen resulted in protests. 

King Charles sits on the throne in the Senate Chamber for the State Opening of Parliament during an official visit to Canada on May 27, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario

Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Ottawa Airport during an official visit to Canada in Ottawa, Canada, on May 26, 2025

As Charles prepares to host Donald Trump for a full state visit in September, questions have flared about Trump’s unwelcome suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state

Earlier this year, the Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, told The Daily Telegraph that the king, as head of state, has a duty to confront Trump. 

Most recently, it was reported that Buckingham Palace raised concerns about Trump’s ‘threats to Canada’, seeing it as a reason ‘not to rush into a state visit’. 

As royal observers grapple with the implications of the upcoming visit, earlier this year, Charles marked the second time in Canadian history that the reigning sovereign has opened parliament during a royal visit to Canada with Queen Camilla. 

In a speech, which was given in a mixture of English and French, Charles expressed his love for Canada, which Prime Minister Mark Carney called ‘a historic honour that matches the weight of our times’.

But on the first day of the royal visit to Canada, while Charles made headlines delivering the Speech from the Throne, Camilla’s choice of jewellery also drew attention. 

She wore the iconic Asprey Maple Leaf Brooch, which has been worn by Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth II and originally belonged to the Queen Mother. 

Designed in 1939, it was crafted in platinum and set with diamonds to form the shape of a sugar maple leaf-Canada’s national emblem. 

It was gifted to the Queen Mother by King George VI during their landmark state visit to Canada that year.

Charles’s invitation for Trump to visit later this year has sparked controversy after the president’s 2019 visit to meet the Queen resulted in protests

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney greet Charles and Camilla as they arrive at the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, Rideau Hall, in Ottawa on May 26, 2025

Charles and Camilla depart after their two-day visit in Ottawa on May 27, 2025

The brooch was later inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, who wore it regularly for Canada Day engagements and significant Commonwealth occasions. 

This is one of many links between Charles and Camilla’s recent visit to Canada and the Queen Mother.

In 1939, Queen Elizabeth and King George VI became the first reigning monarchs to visit North America, garnering significant attention from both the public and the media.

Taking place in the months leading up to the Second World War, the tour was undertaken to strengthen transatlantic support for the UK in anticipation of a potential war while also showcasing Canada’s status as an independent kingdom of the British Empire.

During the trip, when asked if she was English or Scots by two Boer War veterans in 1939, Queen Elizabeth famously replied: ‘Since I have landed in Quebec, I think we can say that I am a Canadian’.

The Queen Mother, who called the country a home away from home, visited Canada 14 times, the first being in 1939 when she and her husband, King George VI, became the first reigning monarchs to tour the country.

She told Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, ‘that tour made us’ and she returned to Canada frequently.

Her last visit to the country came on July 5, 1989, shortly before her 89th birthday.

The Diamond Maple Leaf brooch was gifted to the Queen Mother by King George VI during their landmark state visit to Canada in 1939

Royal author and journalist Sir William Shawcross wrote about the Queen Mother’s visits to Canada 

Camilla with authors James MacManus and William Shawcross in 2011 at Clarence House

William Shawcross wrote in his biography of The Queen Mother that she was ‘so loved and venerated in Canada’. 

He added: ‘Canadian officials and politicians asked for yet another visit in the early 1990s.

‘The Queen was consulted and came to the reluctant decision that 89 was old enough for such adventures.’  

Such is the strong bond between the British Royal Family and Canada that throughout her 70-year reign, the late Queen Elizabeth II, daughter of the Queen Mother, made 22 official tours of Canada, more than any other Commonwealth country. 

In a speech during her Golden Jubilee in 2002 Queen Elizabeth II said: ‘Je chéris ma place dans la vie du Canada et mon lien avec tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes.’

This translates roughly to: ‘I cherish my place in the life of Canada and my connection to all Canadians.’

She added: ‘It is a privilege to serve you as Queen of Canada to the best of my ability, to play my part in the Canadian identity, to uphold Canadian traditions and heritage, to recognise Canadian excellence and achievement, and to seek to give a sense of continuity in these exciting, ever-changing times in which we are fortunate enough to live.’

On her death, Canadian Justin Trudeau said: ‘The Queen had a deep and abiding love and affection for Canadians. 

Queen Elizabeth II is pictured speaking to the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Diefenbaker, from Buckingham Palace over the telephone in December 1961

The late Queen arrives on a Royal Tour of Canada in 1959

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh watch a 3D film at the Pinewood Studios in Toronto, Canada, in 2010

On her death, Canadian Justin Trudeau said: ‘The Queen had a deep and abiding love and affection for Canadians’

‘She was our queen for almost half of Canada’s existence and was one of my favourite people in the world.’

As royal observers wait in anxious anticipation for Trump’s state visit to the UK, many hold on to the hope that Charles will reaffirm his support and love for Canada and its people by sending a clear message that Canada is not for sale.

In doing so, he will uphold the legacy of his mother and grandmother.

The Glittering History of the Queen Mother’s Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch

The iconic diamond Maple Leaf brooch has been worn by four (past, current and future) Queens of Canada.

Composed of baguette-cut diamonds mounted as a Maple Leaf in platinum by Asprey & Co, the brooch was bought by King George VI for Queen Elizabeth ahead of the Royal Tour of Canada in 1939.

The Maple Leaf is a characteristic Canadian symbol, which has been featured on the Canadian Flag since 1965.

Queen Elizabeth wore the Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch on numerous occasions over the month-long Tour of Canada in the Spring of 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Queen Mother continued to wear the Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch during the years of her widowhood, often on visits to Canada and for events related to Canada into the final years of her life.

The brooch was bought by King George VI for Queen Elizabeth ahead of the Royal Tour of Canada in 1939

The Queen Mother is seen wearing the brooch in July 1952 in Fulham, London

The Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch was loaned to Princess Elizabeth for her first Tour of Canada in 1951, the only instance of the Brooch being loaned during the Queen Mother’s lifetime

The Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch was among the jewels inherited by the late Queen in 2002, who wore it at a Ceremony marking the 90th Anniversary of end of the First World War in 2008 and also on her last Tour of Canada in 2010

The Diamond Maple Leaf Brooch was loaned to the Duchess of Cambridge on her Tour of Canada in 2016 by the late Queen

Queen Camilla is pictured wearing the brooch at Ottawa Airport in Canada on May 27, 2025