In June of 2005, the Westons arranged for a select group of Canadians who head charitable and community organizations paralleling the Prince's philanthropic interests to spend a week with him and senior aides in Britain. Mr. Cappe and his wife Marni, an urban planner, joined the group on several occasions.
The Canadians met at length with the Prince and heads of charitable agencies that he supports and were invited to Highgrove, the Prince's 364-hectare estate, for an intensive tour of its organic farming operations.
Clarence House staff showed a keen interest in what the Canadians were doing and how it might fit with the Prince's interests in education, health, at-risk youth, corporate social responsibility, architecture and urban planning.
The blueprint with other countries where similar contacts had been made was for the Prince to follow up with a visit to promote projects and partnerships. The follow-up visit to Canada never happened. A number of charitable organizations asked Ottawa to invite him in 2006 – and the Prince indicated he had open time – but the new Conservative government said no, sources said.
Ms. Weston at first appeared favourable to being interviewed by The Globe and Mail about her efforts to build a closer relationship between the Prince and Canadians. She asked for a list of questions in advance. When she saw them – one question asked, “Have there been barriers put in the way of the Prince coming to Canada? Or, if not barriers, a lack of official enthusiasm in Ottawa? Could you explain this?” – she and her staff terminated contact and did not reply to subsequent e-mails or telephone calls.
A statement issued yesterday by the Department of Canadian Heritage said: “The Government of Canada has an ongoing planning process for Royal visits. Requests for visits by the Prince of Wales are reviewed in this context. We are not in a position to comment on invitations until this process is complete.”
The Prince's itinerary is planned three to four months in advance. When Clarence House let Ottawa know in July or August of 2005 that he wanted to bring Camilla to Canada at the end of October, 2005, prime minister Paul Martin's office advised that the visit would coincide with the release of the Gomery Commission report into the Liberal sponsorship scandal which could drop-kick the minority government into an election.
“It was a courtesy the palace appreciated,” one former Martin aide said. “We would have loved to have him, but it would have probably been unfair to him.”
There are rumours in Ottawa the Prince may be invited by the federal government later this year. Ottawa says it's still thinking things through.
