The future king and queen of England, Prince William and Kate Middleton, granted Vancouver a visit as part of their royal tour.
“It’s a great privilege that they visited Vancouver as part of their tour. They waved to us and the Duchess even made a flying kiss to all Filipinos,” said reporter Christian Cunanan.
“Seeing them somehow gives people a glimpse of everything beautiful. It’s like a ray of hope,” said Filipino artist Joey Albert who is based in Canada.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came with Prince George and Princess Charlotte on board a sea plane to Vancouver. The two children were left at the Government House in Victoria, the royal family’s home away from home, as William and Kate go on a series of engagements.
Crowds cheered as the royal couple passed the cities going to Sheway, a charity that supports vulnerable mothers. The charity gave the couple teddy bears for George and Charlotte. Fashionable Kate was captioned in photos as having missed the runway of the recently held Vancouver Fashion Week, with her bold dress from Alexander McQueen with matching red shoes and clutch.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and wife Sophoe greeted Kate and William at the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia, where they talked about the society’s programs for helping refugees.
After lunch, the couple greeted young Canadian leaders at the Telhus Garden. William even posed for photos with Olympians and Paralympians. Their last stop was at the Canadian Coast Guard in Kitsilano, where they met a number of first response agencies, before heading off back to Victoria on a hovercraft.
Before going home, the family had a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest, the world’s largest temperate rainforest. The royals were surrounded by wildlife in the 400km rainforest, home to the Kermode or Spirit bear, distinctive because of its white fur. They also saw the rich marine life that includes whales, sea otters, and dolphins. REPORTS FROM TOMY CHOY AND CHRISTIAN CUNANAN
