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VICTORIA, BC – British Columbians will welcome Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, as the Royal Couple begins a four-day visit to the province on Friday, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today. 

“British Columbians are honoured to welcome Their Royal Highnesses as we also prepare to welcome the world for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” said Premier Campbell. “We extend a warm welcome to the Duchess of Cornwall who is visiting Canada, and B.C., for the first time as a member of the Royal Family.” 

The B.C. portion of the Royal visit begins Friday with an official welcome and public event outside at the Parliament Building at approximately 4 p.m. The event will be broadcast live throughout the province on B.C. cable systems and on the Star Choice satellite system (channel 393), as well as being webcast over the Internet. To view the webcast and the Legislative Assembly Channel Guide, go to the Hansard home page athttp://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard. 

On Saturday, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will tour the Olympic Village site on south False Creek in Vancouver, as well as visiting health care facilities and VanDusen Botanical Garden. The Prince will also take in part of a seminar on the urban environment.  

That evening, the provincial government will hold a dinner in honour of Their Royal Highnesses, co-hosted by Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point and Premier Campbell at Government House in Victoria. 

“We look forward to showing The Prince and The Duchess how British Columbia is embracing its role as Canada’s Pacific Gateway for trade, investment and tourism,” said Premier Campbell. “British Columbians are on the cutting edge of sectors like green technology and health research and are taking a leadership role on climate action, and they are proud to share those accomplishments with the Royal Couple.” 

The Royal Couple will attend church service and then rest on Sunday. The schedule for Monday is a visit to CFB Esquimalt to help the Canadian Navy celebrate its centennial year before the Prince and Duchess depart by airplane in the early afternoon for Ottawa. 

The Royal Couple’s official visit to Canada began Nov. 2 in Newfoundland and Labrador and includes stops in Ontario, the National Capital Region and Quebec.