Maj. Casey Anderson, a military intelligence officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, received a King's Coronation Medal from King Charles as the monarch was in the Italian city of Ravenna commemorating the 80th anniversary of the area's liberation during the Second World War, a military effort in which both Canadian and British forces played a role.

The whirlwind visit to Canada by King Charles and Queen Camilla, which had unfolded in a highly charged political climate for the country after repeated annexation taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump, wrapped up with a sense that it was a historic moment for both the country and the monarch.

King Charles has been to Canada 19 times, but his first visit as monarch later this month to read the speech from the throne will be an unprecedented outing on multiple fronts.

Several members of European royal families spent time in Canada during the Second World War, with their stays here becoming a foundation for lasting relations between their home countries and Canada.

During his recent state visit to Italy, King Charles had much praise for his hosts, but there was a noteworthy moment when he drew attention to another country and his connection to it: Canada.

Whether Prince William is sitting in a tank while visiting British troops in Estonia or his private estate is drawing attention to its efforts to expand one of the last remaining examples of temperate rainforest in southwestern England, signals are being sent about how the heir to the throne is settling into his role as Prince of Wales.