OTTAWA — Prince William and Kate joined in Canada Day celebrations Friday, often stealing the show as they were feted by Canadian leaders and cheered by tens of thousands of people who lined the streets of the Canadian capital to get a glimpse of them.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed them to an afternoon program at Parliament Hill as “the world’s most famous newlyweds” and said they represent “our unbreakable link with our past and our unqualified optimism for the future.”
The crowd — many dressed in Canada’s red and white colors — exploded in prolonged cheering and chants of “Will and Kate, Will and Kate.”
The royal couple, who married in April and are on their first official overseas tour, beamed.
In his speech marking Canada’s 144th birthday, the prince talked of his and Kate’s family ties to Canada — in French and English, as he had a day earlier.
He said that Kate had learned about Canada from her late grandfather, “who held this country dear to his heart for he trained in Alberta as a young pilot during the Second World War.”
The prince referred to his grandmother as “the queen of Canada.” Queen Elizabeth II remains Canada’s head of state.
Kate wore the same dress that she wore in her official engagement photos, a cream-colored dress from London designer Reiss. But for her Ottawa appearance, she added the queen’s Maple Leaf brooch and a brilliant red hat topped with a maple leaf.
Friday also would have been the 50th birthday of William’s mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 Paris car crash. In London, her admirers gathered to leave gifts outside Kensington Palace, which was her official residence.
The prince and Kate jet to Los Angeles on Friday and will host a gala dinner there.
