On a tour so structured that even planting a tree is orchestrated down to the exact minute, there is a chance for Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge to exhibit some spontaneity Friday night at the evening concert on Parliament Hill.
A dance? Some clapping along to the music, at least?
The young royals are to spend half an hour at Friday night's concert, which is usually attended by a younger crowd and is the most raucous of the Canada Day events. It is followed by fireworks.
So far the royal couple, who have been on a "private retreat" at Rideau Hall since they left the Hill around 2 p.m., have not veered far from their schedule and kept almost exactly to time.
Friday, the second day of their nine-day tour began in Gatineau, Que. where they attended a citizenship ceremony. Then they jumped into a horse-drawn landau and made their way to Parliament Hill for Canada Day celebrations.
A prolonged standing ovation from the estimated 300,000 people and dignitaries on Parliament Hill for the noon concert provoked only a quick wave from Prince William. And while the Governor General's wife Sharon Johnston was clapping along to the music, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper was slapping his knee to the music of Great Big Sea, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge remained quite still.
They are chatty, however, often leaning into one another to point something out or smile about something else. They appeared to be enjoying themselves.
Heritage Minister James Moore, who helped design the afternoon celebrations and is the minister in charge of the visit, said he thinks the royal couple is "flattered and humbled by the hospitality Canadians have expressed."
"And I'm very pleased by the enthusiasm Canadians have shown so far," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, meanwhile, addressed the crowd, referring to Prince William and Catherine as "the world's most famous newlyweds."
"A young couple who represent an unbreakable link with our past and our unqualified optimism for the future," he said. "Now in that great Canadian summer tradition, they are about to strike off on a cross-Canada tour ..."
Before that, however, the couple has a tree to plant on the grounds of Rideau Hall Saturday. They have been allotted 20 minutes – from 12:40 to 1 p.m. – during which "their Royal Highnesses throw, in turn, a spade of earth on the base of the tree," according to their itinerary.
So no surprises for those 20 minutes Saturday – but what about Friday night? From 9:03 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. all that is known is that they'll be at their seats in the VIP section on Parliament Hill.