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The upcoming tour of Canada by Prince William and Kate won't touch down in Cape Breton, but there is a significant island connection to the affair.

Kevin MacLeod, originally from Boularderie Island, is the Canadian secretary to the Queen and is the chief organizer of the nine-day tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, which begins Thursday.

For the past four months, MacLeod has been working 14-hour days as he tends to every detail of the couple's first tour of Canada.

"That really is the secret of a good protocol officer - someone who can see the larger picture and at the same time never lose sight of the minutia," Mr. MacLeod said in an interview.

"Oftentimes, the devil is in the details. We've got to ensure that it's all covered off."

It's work that Mr. MacLeod has been doing since 1987, and something that he normally could have upwards of 12 months to complete.

Mr. MacLeod has spent much of the past few months travelling to regions the couple will visit, meeting with lieutenant-governors, chiefs of protocol and other provincial and territorial officials in an effort to get an idea of how the communities want to promote themselves.

"You have to be very conscious that there will be hundreds of international cameras. When I would meet with these officials I would say, `Yes, the royal couple will be featured in the foreground of media coverage, but what's also important is what's in the background because this is a huge opportunity to promote Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, Quebec, Alberta and indeed Canada,"' he said.

"It's a unique opportunity for us collectively as Canadians to put our best foot forward, not only in welcoming their royal highnesses but really to transmit some key messages to the world about our artists, our creativity, our topography, our landscapes, all this type of thing."

As federal co-ordinator, Mr. MacLeod's job is also to help strike a balance among the events, to ensure there isn't an overabundance of any particular activity.

Another challenge has been that while MacLeod has worked extensively with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles over the years, the last time he met William was 20 years ago, when the prince was nine years old.

"I have not worked with this couple," he said.

"Obviously, they are newly married, they are finding their feet in terms of how they work together."

As part of his preparations, Mr. MacLeod travelled to the United Kingdom shortly before their April wedding to meet with senior members of the couple's household and walked them through the program for the tour. The British delegation then came to Canada in early May.

He said his mother in Boularderie remembers "vividly to this day" seeing the Queen in Sydney in 1959.

"I was on Charlotte Street in 1959 when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were here," he said.

"When I'm part of a royal tour and I see for example walkabouts undertaken or I see them speaking to children or any Canadians, I'm very conscious of the fact that there's a very special moment being created in the life of that family."

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