Prince William and Katherine follow the script to boost support for the Royal Family in Canada

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      I'm surprised there hasn't been more coverage about the spin campaign by advisers to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to drum up support for the Windsors in Canada.

      When Prince William's father Prince Charles visited Canada in 2009, a poll by Navigator revealed that he had a pretty serious image problem in this country.

      CBC News reported in 2009 that 60 percent of respondents felt a constitutional monarchy was outdated.

      "Despite the low polling numbers, there may be a possible silver lining in the results," CBC reported at the time. "In its report, Navigator suggests that a majority of Canadians expect their head of state to visit frequently, and they appreciate a connection to the military and the ability to speak in French."

      So what did Wills do when he got here? He spoke some French in Quebec City. He said that he and his bride will return. And to demonstrate that the Royal Family isn't outdated, they engaged in a bunch of youthful activities—like watching live music and dragon-boat racing—to show they were in tune with the times.

      They also paid allegiance to Canadian soldiers.

      It was a marvellous p.r. campaign, which appears to have been lifted directly from the 2009 poll results.

      On their recent tour, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also avoided Vancouver and Toronto—two of Canada's most diverse cities, where attachment to the Royals is probably thinnest.

      Instead, they spent time in a hotbed of support, Prince Edward Island, and emphasized the Crown's long attachment to First Nations by travelling north.

      Prince William also picked up a hockey stick, which is something many Canadian politicians have done over the years to show that they're regular guys.

      An Angus Reid poll in late June showed that 74 percent of Canadians have a favourable perception of Prince William, and 68 percent feel the same way about his wife.

      With these numbers, their jobs are secure. Canada won't become a republic unless they really screw up.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      primitive notions

      Jul 8, 2011 at 9:47pm

      I can't believe in this day and age we are still courting the monarchy. What is wrong with us as a nation?

      I wonder how much this trip cost Canadians? I don't care how cute this couple is, I can't justify spending a penny of our hard earned tax dollars on this frivolous visit.

      Thank goodness there are more rational people here in the Westcoast who couldn't be bothered to give the monarchy the time of day.

      CanuckReporter

      Jul 10, 2011 at 10:20am

      Amazing we are running deficits yet somehow come up with the cash to jet these spoiled brats around. They are leeches on society and we bow to them for having done nothing more than fall out of some rich person's vagina

      TheMan

      Jul 10, 2011 at 11:48am

      This article has the solution written right inside, there are too many foriegners in Vancouver and Toronto.

      GM Vancouver

      Jul 12, 2011 at 6:51am

      The queen "earns" 12.5 million per year and is worth 0.5 billion. And Canada picks up the tab. That is infuriating.