Prince William and Kate have arrived in Canada for their first official overseas trip, which is expected to draw excited crowds.
A Canadian military plane carrying the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed on Thursday at Ottawa's international airport. The smiling couple stepped off the plane into bright sunshine and shook hands on the tarmac with Canadian officials before leaving immediately for the National War Memorial.
Later, the your royals were scheduled to attend an official welcome hosted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A barbecue for young people follows that.
The newlyweds will stay in Canada for nine days and among other things will take part in Canada Day celebrations, open the world-renowned Calgary Stampede and hand out flags to newly minted Canadians at a citizenship ceremony before jetting off to Los Angeles.
The young prince and his wife have star power to burn and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore reckons this will be the most-watched royal tour in Canada's history.
Canada's prime minister has unveiled a personal flag for use during William's visit. It is the first flag to be created by Canada for a member of the royal family since 1962, when the queen adopted a personal flag for her own use in Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the flag was approved by the queen and William.
The royal couple left London's Heathrow Airport on a Royal Canadian Air Force plane on Thursday morning (local time). The duchess wore a navy blue knee-length dress by the French designer Roland Mouret paired with a navy blazer by Toronto-based Smythe les Vestes. William wore his customary dark blue suit with a red tie.
Kate appeared to have changed during the flight, and stepped off the plane in Ottawa wearing a dark, formfitting print dress.
During the visit, the young prince will demonstrate his skills as a helicopter rescue pilot by taking part in a water landing demonstration, and the couple are scheduled to put on aprons and take part in a cooking workshop in Quebec City.
But the couple won't be welcomed by all. Some anti-royal protests are expected in the French-speaking province of Quebec, with small groups planning protests in Quebec City and Montreal.
Canadian officials have estimated the royal visit will cost the Canadian government about $US1.55 million dollars, not including security.
The prince and Kate jet to Los Angeles on July 8 and will host a gala dinner there the next night to introduce up-and-coming British film talent to Hollywood executives.
