Royals still manage to see B.C's beauty despite wet weather
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, September 27, 2016, 7:00 PM - Weather has a knack for turning plans around, but that wasn't the case for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Monday.
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As the Royals continued their week-long tour of British Columbia and Yukon, torrential downpours led to the cancellation of all outdoor activities on the Heiltsuk First Nation in Bella Bella, B.C.
The Duke and Duchess have landed in a wet, but beautiful Bella Bella #RoyalTourCanada pic.twitter.com/kdBn26W03s
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 26, 2016
Among the festivities cancelled were an aerial tour, a coastal boat ride, and a traditional welcome ceremony set to take place on the brand-new dock on the water, the CBC reports. The plans had been in the works for months.
Despite the change in plans, William and Kate were still able to see B.C.'s rich Indigenous culture, while also taking part in a monumental ceremony to protect one of the province's ecologically diverse Native rainforests.
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The traditional welcome ceremony took place inside Bella Bella's one-room community facilities. Several hundred gathered indoors along with chiefs and band officials, before performing traditional prayers and dances.
The children of Bella Bella are the stars of today's welcome pic.twitter.com/BiIuha8ZmR
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 26, 2016
The rain has not kept the community from making their way down to the hall for today's welcome pic.twitter.com/owVRkOaVZj
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 26, 2016
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with a few officials, then went to the Elders Lodge. It was there that an official ceremony took place, dedicating the Great Bear Rainforest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy, CBC reports.
The Duke and Duchess have arrived at the Elders Lodge in Bella Bella where The Duke will speak shortly. pic.twitter.com/7uIwRam0hX
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 26, 2016
This comes after the B.C. government, First Nations, and forest companies announced a historic agreement that will prohibit industrial logging across 85 per cent of forest within Great Bear Rainforest.
"When we protect our rivers, oceans, atmospheres or like today, our forests we are telling our children that their future prosperity cannot be disconnected from the health of the natural world," William said.
The Duke and Duchess have just had a beautiful walk down a boardwalk in Great Bear Rainforest, now part of the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy pic.twitter.com/IIytwwuMJn
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 26, 2016
SOURCE: CBC