William and Kate to make Canada first foreign destination (Roundup)

Feb 16, 2011, 16:47 GMT

London - Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton will make their first official overseas trip as a married couple to Canada in the summer, it was confirmed Wednesday.

A statement from St James's Palace said the prince and his new bride will tour Canada for nine days from June 30 to July 8, at the invitation of the Canadian government.

Prince William, second-in-line to the throne, and Middleton, a potential future Queen of Canada, are due to get married in London on April 29.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who invited the couple soon after they were engaged last November, said their decision to make Canada their first overseas destination as a royal couple was a 'testament to our country's very close relationship with the royal family.'

The tour would include trips to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and the national capital region, St James's Palace said.

A spokesman said Prince William, 28, was keen to be 'able to show his wife a country that is close to his family's heart.'

The prince last visited the Commonwealth country in 1998, aged 15, when he toured Vancouver with his father, Prince Charles, and his younger brother, Harry, a year after the death of their mother, the late Princess Diana.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Canada last July and, in 2009, Prince Charles spent 11 days in the country with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

'It is my sincere hope that their tour will be the start of a lasting relationship with Canada by the royal couple,' Harper said about the forthcoming royal tour.

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