Prince William and Kate were presented with diamond gifts

during their nine-day Canadian tour, their first official

overseas tour since their wedding last April and the first

tour of its kind in Canada since Prince Charles and Princess

Diana visited in the 1980s. The royal couple’s visit was

financed by the Canadian government and is Middleton’s first

trip to Canada.

“This royal visit will be on a size and scale like nothing

Canada has seen,” said Canadian Heritage Minister James

Moore.

The royal couple were present for Canada Day on July 1— an

official holiday marking the formation of Canada— and were given

polar-bear-shaped cufflinks and a brooch by the Northwest

Territories government. The  gifts were comprised of hundreds of diamonds made  by the Harry Winston company, and mined locally from

Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s North West Territories.

The gifts were presented to the couple during a small afternoon ceremony in

Yellowknife. The diamonds, whose value was not revealed by

the company, are said to symbolize the relations between the

Territories and the British monarchy.

“It is an honor to provide these gifts that combine Harry

Winston design and craftsmanship with the natural beauty of

Northwest Territories diamonds,” said Robert Gannicott, CEO

of Harry Winston.

 

The royal couple’s presence brought publicity and fanfare to

Yellowknife, an area not acclimatized to publicity or

celebrity presence.  Formerly a gold mining hub, Yellowknife

is now a diamond mining center, boasting one of the highest

per capita incomes in all of Canada. Canada produces about ten

percent of the world’s diamonds and Canadian diamonds are

conflict-free, in contrast to those mined in war torn countries.

As part of the tour, the royal couple will visit the Canadian

airfield where Middleton's late grandfather, Peter Middleton,

was based during World War II.

"Canada is very much part of her family's story," said a

royal source.