Visit to the United Kingdom

In November 2024, Her Honour visited the United Kingdom to meet with His Majesty King Charles III and to build on Ontario’s strong and productive ties with the UK. She was accompanied by her husband, the Honourable Tony Viscardi, and their trip was full of memorable and illuminating experiences.  

Crown Connections 

Audience with His Majesty King Charles III 

The main purpose of Mme Dumont’s visit was to meet with His Majesty; it is customary for lieutenant governors to be granted a private audience with the Sovereign early in their mandates, as part of their roles as representatives of the Crown. 

His Majesty received Their Honours at Buckingham Palace, the official home of UK sovereigns in London. Their lively conversation underscored His Majesty’s close and longstanding relationship with Ontario, which dates back to his first visit to Canada as Prince of Wales in 1970. His dedicated engagement with our province is an inspiration. So, too, is his determination to continue finding ways that citizens of Canada, the UK, and the Commonwealth can work together to address common challenges and make the most of shared opportunities. 

Meeting with Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh 

Mme Dumont was delighted to meet for lunch with Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Together, they spoke about the Duke and Duchess’s own strong ties with Ontario—including His Royal Highness’s work with the Duke of Edinburgh Award program and Her Royal Highness’s patronage of hospitals in Toronto. They discussed Their Royal Highnesses’ past visits to the province—most recently in 2023—and ways to bolster bilateral relations.  

The Chapel Royal  

While in London, Mme Dumont visited the main chapel royal, at St James’s Palace. Chapels royal are places of worship that have received a designation from the Sovereign, in recognition of a special connection to the Crown. Ontario is home to the only such chapels outside of the United Kingdom; each one honours the enduring relationship between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples.  

At the palace’s chapel, Mme Dumont was asked to deliver a reading during one of the Sunday Services, which are open to the public. Afterwards, she met with Reverend Canon Paul Wright, who oversees the chapel and is the King’s residential chaplain; his titles are sub-dean of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and deputy clerk of the closet. Mme Dumont presented him with a Canadian King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his efforts to promote and bolster the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Crown. Canon Wright had recently visited Toronto in September 2024 to host the gathering “Convening Conversations on Faith, Environment, Community, and History,” which brought together delegations from the three Ontario chapels royal for the first time.  

Windsor Castle 

Just outside of London is Windsor Castle, a royal residence that dates back nearly 1,000 years, to the time of William the Conqueror. Their Honours met with curators from the Royal Collection Trust, a charity established after a fire in the castle in 1992. The trust is charged with conserving and showcasing artwork from the Royal Collection. One of the world’s largest collections, it includes Canadian work that has been presented to members of the Royal Family during their visits, as well as work that has been specially commissioned or acquired. 

This work offers insight into the relationship between our countries, and the curators showed Their Honours Canadian art with historical significance and resonance. Highlights included portraits of Mohawk leader Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant) and former prime minister Jean Chrétien, works by the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025), and watercolours related to the tour of Canada in 1860 by Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII). 

Highlighting Ontario’s Relationships in the United Kingdom 

Meeting with the High Commissioner / Roundtable on Ontario’s Influence 

The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, otherwise known as Canada House, sits on Trafalgar Square—one of London’s best-known landmarks. There, prior to our meeting with His Majesty, Their Honours met with the Honourable Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Deputy High Commissioner Robert Fry. The high commission provides many services to Canadians in the UK—legal and otherwise—and is home to a gallery featuring contemporary Canadian art.   

It was fitting that, in this home away from home for Canadians, Their Honours were joined by the Honourable Joan Marie J. Aylward, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, and her spouse, the Honourable Carl R. Thompson. Coincidentally, Ms. Aylward had been installed in her role on the same day as Mme Dumont, and they were both due to meet with His Majesty on the same day! 

Also at Canada House, Mme Dumont met with Wanda Hamilton, CEO of the Canada-UK Foundation, which promotes connections between our countries by funding education and encouraging collaboration. Together with Sophia Arvanitis, who is Ontario’s agent-general in London—Ontario’s primary representative in the UK—Mme Dumont hosted a spirited roundtable discussion featuring ten young Ontarian scholars and professionals living in the UK. They enthusiastically shared their experiences of international learning and working, and it was heartening for Her Honour to see them building connections among themselves after the event. 

Coronation Medal Presentation to the Honourable Hilary Weston 

While in London, Mme Dumont presented the Honorable Hilary Weston with a King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her years of service as the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, between 1997 and 2002. It was a wonderful opportunity for Mme Dumont to speak with her predecessor and share the presentation with Ms. Weston’s daughter, Alannah Weston. 

Building Bridges with UK Organizations  

The Palace of Westminster 

Their Honours joined Ms. Aylward and Mr. Thompson for a visit to the Houses of Parliament (otherwise known as the Palace of Westminster), where they met with Ugbana Oyet, who is the first Black Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, and Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms Chris Rust. Serjeants at Arms are responsible for keeping order in the House of Commons and carry the House’s mace; their duties are similar to those of the Sergeant-at-Arms in the Ontario Legislature. Their Honours toured the UK’s two legislative chambers—the House of Commons and the House of Lords—as well as historic parts of the palace including Westminster Hall, a medieval great hall now used for state and ceremonial funerals. Their visit offered insight into the ways the UK’s system of government has influenced and informed Ontario’s own, and into the important roles played by the Crown in both governments. 

Institut français du Royaume-Uni 

When Mme Dumont was installed as our province’s first Francophone lieutenant governor, she promised to proudly promote Ontario’s Francophonie and our bilingualism, which are not just powerful economic assets, but also integral to Ontarian identity. In London, it was instructive for her to learn about the work of the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, an organization that promotes French language learning and culture in the UK. Their Honours toured the many facilities in the Institut’s beautiful building in South Kensington, near the Natural History Museum—including a cinema, a library, and conference rooms—in one of which Mme Dumont joined a roundtable discussion about the French Institute’s work.  

Chickenshed Theatre  

Another focus of Her Honour’s mandate is helping to build caring and resilient communities. Art has an important role to play in revealing how differences between people can be overcome, as demonstrated by the remarkable work of Chickenshed, a renowned theatre company in north London. Formed in 1974—and previously based in a disused chicken shed!—the company stands as a shining example of inclusion and accessibility. It offers educational programming for high schools and universities, and in institutions such as prisons and hospitals, and its productions feature people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Their Honours were delighted to tour Chickenshed’s purpose-built theatre, where they observed the rehearsal process and discussed the power of inclusive theatre with actors and administrators.  

That night, Their Honours watched a thrilling performance of Pan, Chickenshed’s 50th anniversary Christmas show. The company’s version of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan featured a rotating ensemble cast of 800—around 160 per night. Pan was a wonderful celebration of intergenerational community spirit, and Their Honours left the theatre feeling energized about the possibilities offered by art and education to bring people together, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.