During a state visit, it is the queen who acts as personal hostess. In most cases, that involves lavish pomp and ceremony and a stay of several days at Queen Elizabeth’s official residence, Buckingham Palace. In a letter to The Times Tuesday, Ricketts said the “state visit” should be downgraded to a lower level “official visit” to spare the monarch any embarrassment. A state visit is a carefully choreographed event and involves grand pageantry in the heart of London. At a time his mother finds herself at the centre of the state visit dispute, Prince Charles said he fears the lessons of World War II have been forgotten.

Source: National Post January 31, 2017 16:42 UTC