If you haven’t turned on your television or read a newspaper in recent days, you may not know that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have touched down in our country. But we doubt that is even possible.

Prince William and his new bride Catherine arrived in Canada as part of their first official tour last Thursday in Ottawa.

On Friday they took part in Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill and toured a children’s hospital in Montreal on Saturday. On Monday they could be seen dragon boat racing in Charlottetown before departing off to the Northwest Territories where they took part in a prayer drum song and dance and met with elders.

And while we’ve seen their faces plastered all over the media, the real excitement for us begins today when they are set to hit Alberta soil. After a surprise visit to Slave Lake, the couple is scheduled to arrive in Calgary later today. There they will tour the 21st Century Research and Innovation Centre and attend a reception hosted by Prime Minister Stephan Harper.

On Friday William and Catherine will be seen leading the Calgary Stampede parade, visiting the Calgary Zoo and meeting with the City’s homeless youth before departing to Los Angeles where they will continue their jaunt.

Most of us won’t have the pleasure of getting to see Will and Kate up close, so why does all of this matter?

The couple’s visit speaks to a solid relationship between England and Canada. Our nation has consistently been at the top of the list for such visits and there is no doubt the public for the most part relishes every moment of it. It really does speak volumes that the couple chose Canada to visit first as part of an official tour.

Now there are a whole lot of naysayers out there who decry even the presence of a ‘royal family’. Many point out that in their opinion it’s ridiculous to have kings, queens, princes and princesses in modern times. Especially when they hold no power and are nothing more than figureheads.

Others are committed Royalists to the end.

After all, there is a rich history behind England’s Royal Family. The stories may not all be flattering, particularly those that have surfaced about certain goings-on in the past 20 years or so, but all in all it can be described as a fascinating dynasty with all kinds of colourful characters and events.

And while Will and Kate will have come and gone by the week’s end, their acknowledgment of our country sends a positive message and for those who were able to meet the modern day royals, those memories will last a lifetime.