Prince Charles wears a traditional Coast Salish First Nation cedar headband he received from British Columbia Lt-Gov. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VICTORIA, B.C. - Bunny Campbell says she was excited, but also a bit frightened to be part of the front-row crowd waiting to greet Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, before Sunday church.
Campbell, 87, said she’s seen Queen Elizabeth twice in Victoria, but never Charles or Camilla, who is making her first visit to Canada.
Campbell, who brought her own lawn chair, said she saw Charles up close but didn’t get a perfect look at Camilla because the green hat she was wearing hid some of her features.
"She’s sweet, but she had so much hat, so I didn’t see what she looked like," she said.
Still, the experience left Campbell beaming and cheering as the royals mingled with the more than 200 people who waited outside of Victoria’s historic Christ Church Cathedral.
"We came to see the Queen here once and it was the same (crowd) amount, maybe a few more," said Campbell.
Church bells peeled and the crowd clapped and cheered as Charles and Camilla stepped out of their vehicle and were greeted by the Anglican bishop of British Columbia, the Right Reverend James Cowan, and the dean of British Columbia and rector of Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Reverend Logan McMenamie.
Charles and Camilla sat in the front pews of the church during a service that touched on remembrance and sacrifice leading up to Remembrance Day on Wednesday.
Bishop Cowan spoke about the meaning of sacrifice in a world where tragic events sometimes raise doubts about its value.
He mentioned the death toll of the war in Afghanistan and the recent tragic shootings of American soldiers allegedly by one of their own in Fort Hood, Texas.
"There are times I wonder what is the point of it all," he said. "People strive to make good in the world. Their struggle does make a difference. No, our commemorations and remembrances are not futile."
During the church service, Charles and Camilla dedicated new stained glass windows at the church commemorating their visit, as well as the 80th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral and the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of British Columbia.
The windows, the work of artists Edward Schaefer and Thomas Mercer, read: "Greetings favoured one. The Lord is with you. Here I am the servant of the Lord. To the Glory of God and commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of British Columbia."
The couple spent the rest of their Sunday privately.
They leave British Columbia for Ottawa on Monday after a marking a naval anniversary ceremony at CFB Esquimalt.
