Peninsula Daily News

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The honeymooning British royals, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — better known as Prince William and Princess Kate — are about to make their first foreign trip as husband and wife.

Or, if you will, future king and queen.

And Canadians, for whom the royals also reign, appear to be happy with the couple and the prospects of a healthy and popular monarchy led by the son of the late Princess Diana.

On the eve of Will and Kate’s Canadian debut, an Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively for Postmedia News and Global TV and published in the Victoria Times-Colonist on Tuesday revealed that two-thirds of Canadians agree that the couple will “keep the monarchy relevant” in Canada.

A majority (52 percent) of Canadians now disagree that when Queen Elizabeth II’s reign ends, “Canada should end its formal ties to the British monarchy” — a sentiment that tumbled 10 points from where it stood a year ago, just before the queen visited.

“We now have a majority who say, ‘Let’s keep them around,’” says Sean Simpson, associate vice-president of Ipsos.

“And you have to attribute it to [Will and Kate] because nothing else has changed. I think Canadians are seeing the future of the monarchy and they like what they see enough to keep it around.”

Nationally, a majority of Canadians (55 percent) say they’re excited that Will and Kate are touring Canada, and 5 percent say they plan to go see the couple in person — which could amount to 1.25 million royal pilgrims north of the U.S border.

The duke and duchess will tour Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown and Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Yellowknife and Calgary between Thursday and July 8.

They’ll skip Victoria and Vancouver, B.C., but they’ll be in the national capital of Ottawa for Canada Day on Friday, which commemorates the 19th century uniting of three provinces into the country of Canada under the British Empire, then Canada’s full independence from the U.K. in 1982.

There’s one rub: Although 51 percent of French-speaking Quebecers admitted in the poll that they’re excited the English newlyweds are visiting, more than two-thirds (67 percent) are in favor of severing Canada’s ties with the British monarchy.

That’s compared with 42 percent in the rest of Canada — a 25-point difference of opinion Simpson calls “massive.”

“It’s really two different stories,” he says. “When you remove Quebec from the equation, it’s really quite strong support to keep the monarchy.”

The poll results also reveal that a majority (54 percent) of Canadians thinks Prince Charles, 63, should skip his place in line so that his son, Prince William, can assume the throne.

At the same time, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother and William’s grandmother, enjoys approval ratings most politicians would give up their expense accounts for: 81 percent of Canadians agree that she’s done a good job in her role as monarch — up eight points from a year ago.

“We’ve had Queen Elizabeth sitting on the throne for over half a century now, and it’s great and Canadians agree that she’s done her job,” says Simpson.

“There’s a sense that we can modernize the institution through William and Kate and keep it relevant and exciting and worthwhile. It’s bringing the monarchy into the 21st century.”

The poll gathered opinions from 1,016 Canadian adults between June 20 and 27, and the results are considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.