P.E.I. turns out in force to welcome William, Kate to Canada’s birthplace

CHARLOTTETOWN – The cradle of Confederation was teeming with smiling faces young and old Monday as Prince William and Kate began their day in Prince Edward Island at the site of the Charlottetown Conference, which laid the foundation for Canada’s birth.

Thousands of people, many of them having spent the night outside, were gathered at Province House, P.E.I.’s legislature and the site of the historic meeting some 146 years ago that paved the way for Confederation.

A sea of small Canadian flags had gathered beneath slightly overcast skies to catch a glimpse by the time the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived — Kate in a cream pencil dress by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, William his traditional blue suit with a burgundy tie.

“It is quite a moment for Catherine and me to be standing here in the Atlantic Canada, in front of Province House, where Canadian federation was forged,” William told the enthusiastic, cheering crowd.

“Here, in the crucible of Canadian nationhood, we look forward to meeting many of you.”

Premier Robert Ghiz introduced William, announcing the establishment of a scholarship fund in the name of the duke and duchess.

“We have both so looked forward to this day, and discovering more about your beautiful island,” William said.

“We are also delighted that you have chosen to inaugurate a scholarship in our names. Thank you for this wonderful and generous welcome.”

From there, the duke and duchess split up and began working the crowd, shaking hands with the many spectators pressed up against the barricades along the street, utterly unfazed by the spitting rain that began to fall.

Jennifer Thomson, 26, had a poster saying “Kate can I borrow your outfit?”

“I think she’s setting a new fashion trend and I personally love them and would love to wear them,” Thomson said.

It was important for the couple to come to Canada, she added. “I think it will only strengthen the ties between Canada and England and the monarchy.”

The crowd was almost universally friendly, save for one lone protester toting a small sign that read, “You are not my prince.” Unsympathetic spectators nearby used umbrellas to obscure the sign.

With a gentle rain falling, the duke and duchess climbed aboard their open-air landau, a choir singing in the background, for a short procession down crowd-lined Great George Street towards the waterfront.

Once there, they took in a brief musical theatre performance of “The Talking Stick,” which tells First Nations stories from across the country, before climbing the stage to greet some of the performers.

That was followed by another mad scrum of hand-shaking and picture-taking with the legions of fans gathered by the shoreline.

Later Monday, the duke and duchess were to travel by motorcade to Dalvay by-the-Sea, a scenic resort along the island’s north shore, where William is scheduled to don a flight suit and take to the air in a Sea King helicopter.

They’ll end the day in Yellowknife, the next stop on their nine-day tour.