To Canada with Less Pomp and Circumstance

Royal tours are not exactly what they used to be. When Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Canada last week at the start of an 11-day visit, Fleet Street virtually ignored the event. The airmail edition of the London Times carried only a three-sentence dispatch--by Agence France-Press; the Daily Mail carried not a line. Even the Canadians, who had not seen their Queen for two years, were not entirely overwhelmed. Some raised once again the question of whether Canada really needs a Queen. The Red Cross felt compelled to announce that a blood supply it had specially reserved for Her Majesty in case of accident would be returned to the general-usage bank once she departed.

Of course, there were some echoes of past pomp and circumstance. The schedule included the usual royal salutes, reviews of guards and presentations of bouquets. Missing from the schedule were any stops in Quebec, where separatists caused disorders during the royal tour of 1964. However, in a clear message to French-Canadians, the Queen declared: "It is as Queen of Canada that I am here. Queen of Canada and all Canadians, not just one or two ancestral strains."

The dominant tone of the tour was struck by the unpretentious poise of the Queen and Prince Philip. Elizabeth, who has proved to be more informal than some of her subjects, surprised many by strolling away from her party to chat with them.

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