Prince Charles, Duchess of Cornwall to visit Winnipeg

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have announced they plan to visit Canada in May, with stops in Manitoba and the Maritimes.

The Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, havent said exactly where in Winnipeg theyll be stopping, but a number of Manitobans are already excited for the visit, not the least of which work in the provinces office of the Chief of Protocol.

Were delighted, and were thrilled, and were going to try and put on a very substantial and very good program for them, said Dwight MacAulay, chief protocol officer for Manitoba.

Prince Charles last visited Manitoba in 1996, and the Duchess of Cornwall hasnt been to the province before.

The Monarchist Leagues Darcie von Axelstierna said the visit will be a little different than if other members of the Royal Family were coming to down.

Theres a lot of focus on William and Kate because of course they are young and glamorous, said Axelstierna. It is interesting to the media whereas the Prince of Wales is a little more analytical.

He said Prince Charles and Camilla appeal to a slightly different audience.

They would want to probably reach out to people in the community who wouldnt be as mobile or get a chance to meet them, usually, he said.

Regardless of which Royal couple is showing up, some local business owners are expecting to benefit from the visit.

For Manitoba in general I think its exciting, said Belinda Bigold, co-owner of High Tea Bakery on Portage Avenue. We dont get many celebrities through here.

When the Queen came in 2010, the bakery produced 4,000 Imperial cookies.

We had every single staff member on it in a kind of assembly line, said Bigold. When the Royals are involved, we put the little crowns on them, and they fly off the shelves.