Tourism promoters hope for boost from Will and Kate's visit

William and Kate's Canada visit will retread old ground

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge land in Canada today, they will be aware that they are about to embark on a tour that will be one of the defining moments of their lives as working members of the Royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will land in Ottawa at 7pm BST Photo: EDDIE MULHOLLAND

But if the prospect is at all daunting, they will at least know that they are following in familiar footsteps, as their first joint engagement on foreign soil will be at the very spot where Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, conducted the original royal “walkabout”.

After their flight touches down in Ottawa at 7pm BST, the royal couple will be taken straight to the National War Memorial in the capital, where they will lay a wreath to honour Canada’s war dead.

In May 1939 the Duke’s great-grandparents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unveiled the memorial before deciding to stop and chat to some of the 100,000-strong crowd that had turned out to see them.

Ever since then, the royal “walkabout” has been an essential part of any visit, and today will be no different as Prince William and Kate Middleton follow their predecessors’ example with their own walkabout among crowds at the memorial.read more.