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Source: Ottawa Citizen
Date: July 1, 2011

OTTAWA — An evening rain forced the 120 guests at a Celebration of Youth barbecue inside Rideau Hall Thursday with Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, still mingling with ease among the crowd inside.

The barbecue was held to honour 100 Canadians under the age of 35 for their dedicated service both at home and abroad and it included athletes, business people and community leaders from across Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his wife Laureen, Gov. Gen. David Johnston, his wife Sharon, and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore were also at the event.

The guests, food and the cutlery were moved inside when it began raining, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the guests who got a chance to meet the royal couple, said Cody Boast, 20, one of the athletes at the barbecue. Figure skater Tessa Virtue was also there.

“They (the royal couple) came over and introduced themselves and they had a chance to speak to most of us. It was pretty cool,” Boast, a University of Ottawa student who is a running guide to Noella Klawitter, 33, a visually-impaired runner from Carleton Place. Jason Dunkerley, 33, a visually-impaired runner, was also in the group.

“William was really charismatic and upbeat. Kate was really sweet. They were down to earth and they talked about sports, asking us questions about which sports we play. William was really interested in the sport aspect of it. Each of the athletes told him about what they do and how they got into their sport,” he said.

At the end of the evening there was a group photo of all the guests with the royal couple, the prime minister and the other dignitaries, said Boast.

“Everyone was in the photo and we were really close to the royal couple. It was really neat,” he said.

The menu wasn’t the traditional barbecue fare and it included trays of hors d’oeuvres, salmon, and for dessert, cheesecake and chocolate pastries.

Before the event, an estimated crowd of about 5,000 people gathered at Rideau Hall to catch a glimpse of William and Kate as they were greeted by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

But if royal watchers had hoped that the couple would engage in an extensive walkabout, as they had just moments before at the War Memorial, they were disappointed. The royal pair took a few minutes to shake hands and meet people, then walked toward Rideau Hall. A 21-gun salute boomed, startling children in the audience.

Prince William make his first public remarks in Canada at the entrance to Rideau Hall, beginning his speech in French, which drew a cheer of approval from the crowd.

William said he and his new bride were delighted their first trip together was to Canada, and added that he and Kate had discussed coming here.

“We have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. And before we were married, we had a longing to come here together,” he said.

Johnston drew a laugh from the crowd as he greeted the royal couple. Mentioning the royal wedding, which he and his wife Sharon has attended, he said it was an honour to greet the pair on their first official tour as a married couple.

“Welcome to Canada, the honeymoon capital of the Commonwealth!”

The gates to the viceregal grounds were opened at about 1 p.m., and royal watchers streamed in, picking their spots along the barricades.

Carlie McCann, 23, of Westport, said she arrived to wait in line at the gates at about 11:45 a.m., and raced to get a spot as close as possible to the dais. From there she was able to snap photos of the couple with her digital camera.

“Someone brought a stool with them, and all of the shorter people had an opportunity to get a nice view,” she said.

Others were even more lucky.

Allison Hockin, a Queen’s University student, said Kate walked toward her group.

“All these hands plunged out. She kind of skipped over my hand at first and then she came back and shook my hand. It was so exciting,” she said.

“We just looked at each other and we were all shaking, and comparing pictures. I had to swap my camera to shake hands,” said Hockin, who said she’s a big fan of the Royal Family.

“It was just great to see them so close today.”

Myrtle Herzog was able to present Kate with a bouquet of orchids.

“To be honest, I was so excited I can hardly remember what she said to me, but I believe she said ‘thank you,’ ” said Herzog, a former Ottawa resident now living in Toronto.

She was in the thick of the crowd and the Duchess of Cambridge reached over to accept the flowers from her.

“We had eye contact and everything, it was very exciting. She looked gorgeous, just lovely, and it was so wonderful to see her in person.”

Ottawa resident Fiona Clark shook hands with Prince William. “He said ‘Thank you for coming out’ and then he went along talking to the other people. It was great and very personal of him to do that. He looked very good and very happy.”

Ashbury College student Morgan Guimares, 14, snapped a photograph of Kate.

“She is my idol. I have the same ring she does and I absolutely love her. I had a tear when I took the picture of her. I just think they have real love and the whole monarchy is amazing,” said Morgan, who jumped on the shoulders of her friend, Vivien Allen, 15, to get the shot.

“Someone said ‘I love you Kate Middleton” and she had this huge smile on her face. She was looking at everyone and shaking their hands,” said Morgan.

Lorraine Prokopchuk and Gail Surman, both retired teachers, were visiting from Winnipeg, specifically for the royal visit. Both were wearing homemade fascinators made with silk leaves, Canadian flags and sparkly butterflies from the dollar store and carrying pompoms and wedding flags a friend had sent from England.

Surman said they made the trek to Ottawa because they are both monarchists and romantics.

“It’s on my bucket list to be on Parliament Hill for Canada Day and see the royals,” said Prokopchuk. And why not? Because we can. It all started with Diana. Amd we’re mothers, too. There’s a connection. A respectful, loving connection.”

Shirley Yan, who is from China and has been in Canada for a year, says she and her sister were merely curious.

“This is the first time to see a royal person in the flesh.”

John Waddington, a nuclear safety engineer who has lived in Canada since 1975, recalls that he was in the crowds for the Queen’s coronation when he was about 11 years old. He recalls snaking through the legs of people in the crowd.

“Walt Disney couldn’t do it better,” he said. “It takes 600 years to stage it like this.

Kristina Evanov, 27, who works in radio promotions in Toronto, sported a fascinator trimmed with feathers she bought at a charity polo match.

She says she wouldn’t wait to see a Hollywood celebrity. She has become more interested in the Royal Family since the wedding.

“I think because it’s my generation, you can relate to them more. You can see them grow up into their roles.”

Robert Finch, the dominion chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada was one of about 30 members of the league seated on risers near the entrance to Rideau Hall, getting the best view of the event.

“I thought this was fabulous,” he said.

“It was important to see the future of the monarchy. It’s good to see a young couple who obviously love each other.”