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As King Charles made a historic address to a joint session of Italy's parliament the other day, he talked of that country's past, present and future, and its ties to the United Kingdom.
He nodded to the poets Virgil and Dante, spoke of the "wonders of the Renaissance" and welcomed the way British and Italian business leaders are working together to cut emissions and tackle the loss of biodiversity as the world faces the "urgency of the climate challenge."
But amid his praise for Italy, there was a noteworthy moment when Charles drew attention to another country and his connection to it.
"Tomorrow in Ravenna, as King of the United Kingdom and of Canada, I will have the great honour of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of that province ... in which British and Canadian forces played a key role," he said.
During a reception organized by the U.K. and Italy in Ravenna the next day, Charles met a delegation of 26 Canadians — mainly military personnel and their spouses — who are posted in Italy. They were led by Canada's ambassador to Italy, Elissa Golberg.
Such attention to Canada from the King stands out, coming as it does after those who watch him closely were seeing an increase in signals and royal symbolism in support of the country as it faced repeated taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump about becoming the 51st state.
Such rhetoric from Trump has faded of late — although the White House press secretary says his position hasn't shifted — but a monarch making such a reference in an international, non-Commonwealth setting to his role as "King of Canada" is rare and has few if any parallels in recent royal times.
"I think this was a deliberately chosen moment for the King to be able to make this statement and to be able to show the support [for Canada] in a more direct way than wearing a red tie," royal historian Justin Vovk said in an interview.
"That is a really big step for the...
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