King Charles, Queen Camilla undertake royal engagement ahead of foreign visit

King Charles and Queen Camilla on Tuesday visited Canada House to mark 100 years since it opened in June 1925, according to the local media.

The visit  came a few days before the royal couple’ visit to Canada this month.

Charles will attend state opening of parliament in Ottawa, Buckingham Palace said, in a clear show of support for the former British colony of which he is still head of state.

The palace said that the royal couple will visit Canada from May 26 to May 27.

The monarch's attendance comes after his recent acknowledgment that he is also the king of Canada, a country that U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear he has designs on.

The visit to Canada would be Charles' second overseas trip this year, after his visit to Italy where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis before the pontiff's demise.

Ahead of their visit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticised King Charles' invitation to Donald Trump for a second state visit to the United Kingdom.

He said that the invitation undermined his government's effort to project a united front against the US president's talk of annexing Canada.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said he wants Canada to become the 51st U.S. state, a suggestion that has angered Canadians and left Britain trying to tread a fine line between the two  countries.

Carney, in an interview with Sky News, was asked about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's move in February to use his visit to the Oval Office to hand Trump an invitation from the monarch for an unprecedented second state visit to London.

"I think, to be frank, they (Canadians) weren't impressed by that gesture... given the circumstance. It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty," he said.

"All issues around Canada's sovereignty have been accentuated by the president. So no, it's not coincidental, but it is also a reaffirming moment for Canadians," he said.