Prince William and Catherine Middleton have arrived on Canadian soil.Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge—who married in April this year—kicked off their 11 day North American tour, their first overseas engagement as a married couple, when they landed in Ottawa this afternoon (June 30). Catherine paid tribute to her hosts, stepping onto the runway in a midnight-blue lace dress with stone shaded lining and scalloped sleeves by Montreal-based designer Erdem.
She also wore L.K. Bennett pumps and carried a matching clutch, and had her hair half tied back as she stepped into the country.
As William and Catherine exited the plane, a specially designed commemorative flag for the Prince was flown from the cockpit window.
The couple were then greeted by John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who escorted them to their awaiting motorcade, which also flew the commemorative flag.
The royals' private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, has previously told how excited they are about the visit.
He said: "The royal couple are delighted that Canada will be their first tour together and the Canadians have put together an extremely welcoming and well-balanced diary of meaningful engagements, mixed with fun and lots of opportunities to get to know Canada and Canadians better."
The couple's trip will see them travel across the country—a member of the British Commonwealth, which has Queen Elizabeth as Head of State—visiting Ottawa, Ontario, Montreal and Quebec, among other cities, before heading to California in the US between July 8 and 10.