Duke And Duchess To Arrive In Cowboy Country
Thursday 7 July 2011 10:39 AM
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive in cowboy country today for the final stop on their tour of Canada.
As the couple touches down in Calgary on the edge of the Rocky Mountains, they will be presented with cowboy boots and 10-gallon hats.
And it is thought the couple will swap designer outfits and suits, for jeans and chequered shirts.
Their visit coincides with Calgary's annual Stampede Rodeo, known as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth".
As the couple enjoys 24 hours away from the cameras at an undisclosed location, the Ranch Girls of Calgary fine-tuned the event's opening ceremony.
"We are all really looking forward to William and Kate coming and I hope they can experience our western hospitality in this beautiful cowboy country," Stampede Princess Kateri Cowley told Sky News.
The Duke is an accomplished horserider, but when asked if he could give the ranch girls a run for their money, Cowley replied: "I'd like to see him try."
But this is not the couple's first stop in the province of Alberta.
Yesterday William and Kate paid a surprise visit to Slave Lake, an area ravaged by wildfire in May this year.
Hundreds of homes were razed to the ground as all 7,000 residents were evacuated.
The Duke and Duchess were shown some of the worst affected areas, littered with the burned out carcasses of vehicles which had stood in the path of the wildfires.
While Kate asked questions about the fire's cause, her husband walked in the ashes it left behind.
If this was an unscheduled visit designed to take residents' minds off their struggle ahead, it appeared to work.
One girl whose family home was completely destroyed told Sky News: "It is so nice they have taken time out to come to Slave Lake - it's been really tough, but today our minds are just on William and Kate."
Another said: "Everyone's spirits are lifted right now - it really means a lot to us."
One woman took time to show Kate her diamond ring that appeared to match the Duchess'.
Cowboy country will be William and Kate's last stop in Canada - the tour has been conducted at a frenetic pace so far - but for an expectant California, their departure cannot come quickly enough.
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