Prince Harry jets off to China as King Charles touches down in Canada

King Charles has officially touched down in North America for the first time since becoming King, but while royal duties call in Canada, his son Prince Harry is quietly half a world away.

The 76-year-old monarch and Queen Camilla jetted into Ottawa on May 26 for a whirlwind 24-hour visit packed with symbolism, politics, and royal distance. 

The trip comes as Charles continues cancer treatment, with insiders calling the visit “short, sharp, and significant.”

But in a twist fit for a royal soap opera, Prince Harry, 40, was spotted in Shanghai, China, making a surprise appearance at a global tourism conference, just as his father touched down on the same continent he calls home.

After landing in Canada for the 20th time, the King and Queen wasted no time.

From meeting with Governor General Mary Simon and Prime Minister Mark Carney to hosting a reception with Canada’s top provincial leaders, the King’s itinerary is tight and symbolic.

The couple even squeezed in a tree planting ceremony at Rideau Hall, right next to the sugar maple they planted in 2017.

The centerpiece of the visit takes place on May 27, when King Charles will open Canada’s Parliament, delivering the Speech from the Throne, a first for him, and only the second time in history a monarch has done so on Canadian soil.

The moment mirrors Queen Elizabeth’s appearance in 1957 and is being hailed as a “historic” and “symbolic” show of unity between Canada and its head of state.

As King, Charles must deliver Prime Minister Mark Carney’s policies, not his own, all while navigating the tension between Canada’s liberal agenda and ongoing diplomatic awkwardness with the US, particularly Donald Trump’s controversial comments about turning Canada into the “51st state.”

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