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Last week, I reviewed the most recent season of Call the Midwife. Jeanie reflected on her trip to England.

Those of us south of the Canadian border tend to forget that Canada is a constitutional monarchy, with King Charles III as the monarch. But, Canada wanted to remind us of that fact this week. Parliament is usually opened with a speech from the General Governor, the representative of the Crown in Canada. But, this week, King Charles III flew to Ottawa to deliver the speech himself.

Here are highlights and analysis from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

I enjoyed the regalia. The king wore a variety of medals, but didn’t wear a crown. Members of the audience, however, wore various traditional costumes — from tricorne hats to feather headdresses.

That wasn’t the only pageantry of the day. Here are the King and Queen headed to Parliament, escorted by Canadian Mounties:

As in the UK, these sort of speeches are written by the Prime Minister’s office to state the goals of the government. But, the King was able to insert a few personal remarks, as well, so it wasn’t completely clear which was which. In any case, here are a couple of notable quotes.

[Canada] will unleash a new era of growth that will ensure we don’t just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever.

This was an applause line, near the end of the speech:

As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!

What did you think of the King’s speech?