A foreign monarch has landed on our shores
In welcoming Elizabeth II, Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (incidentally also the name of my favourite doo wop group), prime minister Stephen Harper made the interesting claim that the queen had visited Canada more times than any other Commonwealth country. Now the key words here are “visited,” “more times” and “Commonwealth country.” So let’s review a couple facts:
- There are 54 Commonwealth countries, 16 of which have Elizabeth II as there head of state
- The United Kingdom (UK) is most definitely a Commonwealth country
- The reigning Duke of Normandy has travelled to and spent far more time in the UK than in Canada
- One does not visit one’s home but rather returns to it after visiting other places
In order for Mr. Harper’s comments to be true the UK must be considered the home of the former queen of Pakistan and thus not a place she can “visit.” In turn since she does “visit” Canada then this country must not be considered her home. Therefore, Elizabeth II, Paramount Chief of Fiji is indeed a foreign monarch.
All that being said, the Lord of Mann does speak fluent French so I’ll give her kudos for that.