May 26, 2025

The King’s Gambit: Charles Lands in Canada as Costs and Questions Mount

Show Notes
Transcript

King Charles prepares for a high-stakes trip to Canada amid chatter about sovereignty, Trump, and a jaw-dropping 53% spike in royal spending. We break down the numbers behind the monarchy, what Charles’s visit really means, and why he's opening Sandringham's farms to the public. Spoiler: it’s not just about the cows.

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Calarogus Shark Media, Hello and welcome through Pallas intrigue Game,

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your host, Mark Francis. King Charles is scheduled to arrive

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in Canada for a two day visit that carries enormous

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symbolic weight and more than a little diplomatic subtext. The visit,

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confirmed just days after new Prime Minister Mark Carney's surprise

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minority win, will see his Majesty deliver the speech from

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the Throne to open the new session of Parliament, only

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the third time a reigning monarch has done so in

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Canadian history, in the first ever by a king. Royal

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historian Justin WOFK calls the moment unprecedented for Canada, unprecedented

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for Charles personally, unprecedented for the Crown, and unprecedented for

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the state of affairs in North America. With US President

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Donald Trump fueling renewed anxieties by teasing that Canada could

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become the fifty first state, Charles's presence is more than ceremonial.

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It's a clear signal Canadian sovereignty. This visit has to

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go flawlessly off WARN's Washington will be watching, the Commonwealth

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will be watching. This could be a stabilizing force in

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a time of real uncertainty. The speech, drafted by Canadian officials,

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is expected to contain carefully chosen language, subtle diplomatic but

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unmistakable in its tone. Retired political science professor David Johnson

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predicts it will make big news internationally and send ceremonial

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but very real messages to the United States. Allwys were

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now beyond how the speech defines Canada's distinct constitutional identity,

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with Charles embodying that symbolism as King of Canada, not

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really King of the United Kingdom. This will be the

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king's twentieth visit to Canada, but his first as sovereign

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after a planned twenty twenty four trip was delayed due

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to his cancer diagnosis. It's unclear whether there will be

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additional public engagements beyond Parliament, but Pallace watchers expect his

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time in Ottawa will reflect longstanding interest in indigenous reconciliation

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and environmental stewardship. King charles deep person connection to Canada

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has been noted often In recent weeks. He met with

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Governor General Mary Simon, Saskatchewan's Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre, who

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presented him with lentil snacks and woolf scarves, symbolic gifts

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from the Prairie provinces and a reminder of the King's

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commitment to Canada's regions. The royal couple is scheduled to

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land at Ottawa's McDonald Cartier International Airport at approximately one

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fifteen Eastern. Their majesties will be welcomed by Governor General

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Mary Simon, Prime Minister Mark Kearney and his wife Dianna

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Fox Carney, and Indigenous leaders, including Assembly of First Nations

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National Chief Cindy Woodhouse knappinnuk Inuit, Taparite Kanatami President Nathan

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Obed and Metis National Council President Victoria Pruden. A ceremonial

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guard of honor from the Royal Canadian Dragoons and amusing

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by the Canadian Armed Forces Band will greet them on

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the tarmac. Their next stop will be Landsdowne Park, Whether

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King and Queen will arrive just before two pm to

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join a community celebration with artisans, local vendors and cultural performances.

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His Majesty will participate in a ceremonial buck drop to

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launch a street hockey demonstration at two fifty pm. The

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royal couple will travel to Rydeo Hall for a ceremonial

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tree planting and to meet with Lieutenant governors and territorial

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commissions from across Canada. Later that evening, Queen Camilla will

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be formally sworn into the King's Privy Council for Canada,

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a lifetime appointment enabling her to advise the King on

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his role as Canada's head of state. The honor mirrors

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the late Prince Philip's own appointment to the Canadian Prairie

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Council as King Charles the Third prepares for another high

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profile trip abroad and delivers speeches underscoring national identity and unity.

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And increasingly pointed question is surfacing at home. How much

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a British taxpay is really paying to keep the monarchy running.

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According to Bloomberg opinion columnist Rose of Prints, the answer

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is murky and deliberately so. The official Sovereign grant intended

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to fund the monarchy's public duties rose are staggering fifty

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three percent last year to one hundred and thirty two

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million pounds. That's a fourfold increase from the thirty one

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million pound grant introduced in twenty twelve. When it replaced

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the old civil list with promises of better value in transparency.

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YEP critics I argue that this is only the tip

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of the iceberg. The campaign group Republic estimates the monarchy's

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true cost is closer to five hundred and ten million

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pounds annually when factoring in security, travel and maintenance of

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multiple palaces. Former Liberal Democrat Minister Norman Baker, who has

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scrutinized royal finances extensively, reaches similar figures that would agreate

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to roughly seven pounds per person per year in the UK,

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not a bank breaking figure and paper, especially when royalists

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taut economic contributions from tourism and diplomacy. But the key

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issue isn't the number itself, it's the opacity behind it.

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Unlike nearly every other public body, the Royal household is

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not subject to the Freedom of Information Act or it's

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a rare. Oversight is minimal. Even the sovereign Grant's formula

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is problematic. It can rise above inflation but never fall,

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and it is governed by a closed group of the

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sitting Prime Minister, Chancellor and a senior courtier. Debate in

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Parliament unlikely Royal finances are a topic largely avoided in

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the House of Commons by convention. This year's hike was

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largely due to a three hundred and sixty nine million

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pound renovation project at Buckingham Palace, the figure that dwarfs

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the stalled furbishment plans for Parliament itself, where lawmakers have

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hesitated for decades to sign off on needed repairs out

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of concern for public perception. Meanwhile, Charles is estimated to

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be worth six hundred and forty million pounds, thanks in

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part to his vast royal estates, like the Duchess of

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Lancaster and Cornwall, which operate like private commercial portfolios. They

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collect rents and fees from public institutions, private homes, even hospital,

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parking lots and wind farms. When residents of the duchies

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die without wills, their estates go to the crown. The

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monarchy also enjoys favorable tax treatment. While Queen Victoria paid

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income tax in eighteen forty two, the windsors have been

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slower to follow. The late Queen Elizabeth I voluntary began

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paying income tax in nineteen ninety three, but inheritance and

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corporate taxes remain largely untouched. Charles Own tax arrangements remain

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voluntary and could, in theory be reversed by a future monarch.

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What about the king's personal spending? According to Baker's research,

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Charles deducts millions and expenses from his dutchy income, expenses

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that include horse stabling and footmen wages. Some investments have

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even been routed through offshore tax havens, as reviewed by

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the Paradise Papers in twenty seventeen, and yet polls show

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that nearly half the country still considers the monarchy good

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value for the money. Only a quarter disagree. More Palace

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in the moment, Charles is once again blending tradition with

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transparency as he opens the gates to Sandrawingham's working farms

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for one day only this June as part of the

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nationwide Open Farm Sunday initiative. The Norfolk Estate, along a

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private royal retreat, will offer the public a rare opportunity

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to explore the agricultural side of royal life. Announced on

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the Sandringham State website, the event promises visitors a glimpse

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into life on the Sandringham farms. Guests can expect to

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meet livestock, speak with the estates beekeeper and observe demonstrations

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from the Sandringham Warden tractors and combine harvesters. We'll also

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be on show making. This a hands on day designed

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to appeal to families and countryside enthusiasts alike. Entry is

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free and the event will run on June eighth from

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ten am to five pm. They have twenty email us

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The King’s Gambit: Charles Lands in Canada as Costs and Questions Mount

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