King Charles looks at the puck after participating in a ceremonial puck drop during a visit to Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Canada, on Monday, May 26, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Britain’s King Charles III arrived Monday in Ottawa on a visit that Canada’s leader says will underscore his nation’s sovereignty amid President Donald Trump’s talk of the United States annexing its northern neighbor.

Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne that will outline his government’s agenda for the new Parliament.

The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.

“This historic honor matches the weight of our times. It speaks to our enduring tradition and friendship, to the vitality of our constitutional monarchy and our distinct identity, and to the historic ties that crises only fortify,” Carney said in a statement.

“Canada’s strength lies in building a strong future while embracing its English, French, and Indigenous roots — the union of peoples that forms our bedrock.”

Carney, the new prime minister and a former head of the Bank of England, and Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, the king’s representative in Canada, greeted the king and Queen Camilla at the airport. A 25-member honor guard from the Royal Canadian Dragoons, for which the king is colonel-in-chief, was also on hand.

The king, in a taupe suit and red tie, later dropped the ceremonial first puck during a street hockey game at a community event.

Spectator Norman MacDonald said he’s “proud” the king came to Ottawa to deliver a message on behalf of Canadians.

“Canada is not, obviously, for sale, and it’s not going to be bullied,” he said.

Canadians stress their differences from the U.S.

It is rare for the monarch to deliver what’s called the speech from the throne in Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did it twice in her 70-year reign, the last time in 1977.

Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States. The king’s visit clearly underscores Canada’s sovereignty, he said.

After America gained independence from Britain, Canada

remained a colony until 1867 and afterward, continued as a constitutional monarchy with a British-style parliamentary system.

“We are different,” former Quebec Premier Jean Charest said. “If you look at why King Charles is reading the speech from the throne, then you have to then acknowledge Canada’s story.”