The Prince of Wales with entourage, outside Government House, Charlottetown, Canada, 1860

Watched closely by the British and Canadian press, the 1860 tour was a whirlwind of official engagements. This photograph shows Prince Albert Edward with his suite and others outside Government House in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The prince had arrived that morning in steady rain. His vessel, HMS Hero, was met by Mi’kmaq canoes. After disembarking, he was conveyed by carriage through streets decked with flowers, lights and images of Britannia. The next day, a levee was held at Government House. Throughout the visit, Queen Victoria received her son’s ‘interesting letters from Canada’, noting in her Journal that his reception had been ‘most enthusiastic but very fatiguing’.