The Queen's special relationship with Canada is about "Commonwealth not empire", the country's high commissioner in the UK said as he insisted it remains "very proud" of its modern relationship with the monarchy.

       Ralph Goodale said it was "extremely important" to demonstrate the strong bonds between countries as a friendship of "equals".

       Speaking ahead of a visit from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who fly to Canada next week, he emphasised the "very egalitarian" relationship, with a shared monarch in the Queen.

       The royal trip follows two overseas tours to the Caribbean by the Cambridges and the Wessexes in which the royals were criticised over Britain's colonial past and petitioned to support slavery reparations.

       The Prince and the Duchess will meet indigenous communities on their Canada trip, emphasising that they are there to listen.

       In a reception at Canada House attended by the couple on Thursday, Mr Goodale said he wished to "pay tribute to Her Majesty and say thank you for her unparalleled dedication".

       "Those of us who come from the Great White North, as we call it, are very proud that Her Majesty has visited Canada 22 times, more than any other country," he said. "She is, after all, the Queen of Canada.

       "It is typical of this wonderful sovereign that she wants her jubilee to be a celebration of the accomplishments and the service of others."

       Speaking afterwards, Mr Goodale said that, despite recent debate about the validity of royal tours, he believed the Prince and Duchess would be more welcome than ever.

       "It is a very egalitarian relationship," he said. "It is not empire, it is Commonwealth. It is a very modern relationship based upon equals, two countries that have done amazing things together in the past and are working constantly on the new agenda for the future.

       "It is a relationship that constantly reviews itself in modern terms, and that is the secret of its longevity."

       During the visit, the Prince and the Duchess watched a performance from the cast of the award-winning musical Come From Away, which is set on "The Rock" – Newfoundland – where the couple will land next week.

       They will undertake a three-day visit, from June 17 to 19, at the invitation of the Canadian government to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

       They were joined by Canadians including David Knight, who works in the energy industry and said: "We are very proud of our links with Britain. We grew up with a portrait of the Queen in every school. It's an important global relationship for us rather than being an adjunct in North America.

       "The only thing we don't have that you do is cricket. We never got that."

       Before they left, the Prince and the Duchess signed a new visitors' book. The old one had been in service for almost 100 years, and the last dignitaries to sign it were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2020.

       The visit will be the 19th visit to Canada for the Prince of Wales and the fifth for the Duchess of Cornwall.