Cheerio: William and Kate board plane in Calgary, end cross-Canada tour

CALGARY - It was a poignant end to a festive day Friday as Prince William and his wife, Kate, paid tribute to Canada's war dead before flying out to wrap up their nine-day Canadian tour.

In a ceremony at a north-end Calgary park, the couple placed a wreath, bowed their heads and observed a few moments of silence before the Portraits of Honour mural, which depicts the faces of Canadian soldiers who died in the line of duty in Afghanistan.

William then inspected a guard of honour from Lord Strathcona's Horse of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group before the couple was given a 21-gun salute.

The prince was dressed in a dark-blue blazer, while his wife wore a scarlet, satin-and-wool Marianne coat-dress by Catherine Walker, the Queen's Maple Leaf brooch on the lapel.

Royal couple to see both sides of LA, from highfalutin to high poverty, after Skid Row visit

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Prince William and Catherine's visit to the U.S. will fittingly include a match of the "sport of kings" at a Santa Barbara polo ground and an evening of hobnobbing with Hollywood's version of royalty, but the couple will also make a stop in Los Angeles' most plebian neighbourhood — Skid Row.

Moving from the hoity-toity to the hoi polloi, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting Inner-City Arts, a non-profit academy that has given children from poverty-stricken neighbourhoods free classes in visual and performing arts since 1989.

"This is what's going on outside their castle. They're going to get a taste of what life is like for us," said Jessica Cornejo, a 19-year-old member of a dance troupe that will be performing for the newlywed couple during their Sunday visit. "It's the best way to end that royal trip."

Housed in a contemporary compound of bright white buildings dotting a plant-filled courtyard, the academy stands out on a street pockmarked with despair.

Dragon-boating and waterbirding: duke, duchess spend royal day at the lake

When most people envision a day at the beach, it doesn't generally involve dragon boats or a multimillion-dollar piece of military hardware.

Of course, most people aren't the future king and queen.

The Duke of Cambridge traded navy blue for drab olive Monday when he donned a flight suit to practise a quintessentially Canadian manoeuvre — landing on the water — during a royal visit to a seaside resort in Prince Edward Island.

The couple ended the day by flying to Yellowknife, where a couple hundred people greeted them under grey skies and a light drizzle.

Lobster souffle, flowers and middle fingers: a royally raucous day in Quebec

MONTREAL - There were some vulgar chants about the Queen and a few middle-finger salutes. Loud boos. And forget those fancy fascinators: here, crowd members dressed like Middle Age peasants to ridicule an institution they derided as archaic.

Bienvenue au Quebec, Prince William and Kate.

As they arrived in Canada's only predominantly French-speaking province for a two-day tour, the royals were given a loud, raucous reminder that not everyone in this country likes the monarchy.

The sea of adulation they had encountered so far during their Canadian tour instantly gave way to a choppier response the moment they entered Quebec on Saturday.

Balancing security, public access sure to challenge officials during royal visit

How do you define downtown revitalization?

How about a $75-million hotel/office/retail/parkade development across from the MTS Centre on the north side of Portage Avenue?

Online bidding for Princess Beatrice’s bizarre royal wedding hat passes $120,000

LONDON - Auction site eBay says a bidder has offered 75,000 pounds ($120,000) for the spiraling headpiece worn by Princess Beatrice to last month's royal wedding.

The 22-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II startled commentators with the swirling hat she wore to the wedding of her cousin Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The silk Philip Treacy creation has been compared to antlers, a toilet seat and a pretzel, and has been photoshopped into scores of unlikely scenarios on the Internet.

Beatrice has taken the joke in stride and put the hat on sale for charity. Proceeds will go to UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

Scones, mimosas and well wishes

WHILE most Winnipeggers slept, the ladies beamed and raised champagne flutes to a future king and queen.

But for all the ceremony, the pomp and circumstance, the real celebration at one local wedding-watching party was for unions much closer to home.

"You won't ever get to do it again in this regard, all dressed up," smiled Joan Martin, 79, one of about 30 grandparents, parents and grandchildren who partied before dawn at the Canoe Club condo complex in St. Vital.

Indeed, the group arrived at the complex's lounge looking fit for Westminster Abbey. Decked in gaily coloured hats and pristine white gloves, they sipped mimosas and dined on cucumber sandwiches and plates of scones.

A glorious day to remember

LONDON -- With not one but two kisses and tender whispered words, Prince William and Kate Middleton smiled and blushed Friday as they started their life as future king and queen. A day of seamless pageantry inspired hopes that this royal couple might live happily ever after.

They appeared at ease throughout their wedding day, with William fighting back giggles at times, while Kate's smile lit up television screens, especially when her new husband leaned over to say, "You look beautiful."

Their intimacy stood in sharp contrast to the lack of chemistry between a wooden Prince Charles and Diana Spencer 30 years ago when they began a marriage that ultimately collapsed in embarrassing tabloid headlines and turned many Britons against the monarchy.

A million people lined the procession route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, many crying with joy. Cheers went up as the couple exchanged the traditional kiss on the balcony, followed by chants of "One more kiss!" The couple waved and smiled and, to a frenzy of delight, obliged.

A glimpse at the royal chatter

LONDON -- Tina Lannin, a professional lip reader who was born deaf, caught the private whispers during the royal wedding that television microphones couldn't capture.

Lannin, who has worked for 7 years as a forensic lip reader for police forces and media outlets with O'Malley Communications, picked out comments from Prince William, his bride and Queen Elizabeth II in a partial transcript. Her assessment couldn't be verified.

10:20 a.m. -- Prince William: "Looking forward to it." To Harry, "shall we go in then?