It's a Royal visit with some serious star power.
Prince William and his new bride, Kate, will spend nine days in Canada on their first international tour together as husband and wife – a trip that will take them to five provinces and seven cities, from Atlantic Canada to the Arctic and from Quebec to the Calgary Stampede.
What makes this royal visit special?
Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, said intense worldwide interest in Prince William and Kate will focus international eyes this way.
"Here we have a newly married couple that everybody for the last six months has kind of been following," said Mr. Finch. "They have that star power. I think that in itself will pique the interest because people will want to see these people here in Canada with their own eyes."
When William's father, Prince Charles, arrived in 1983 with his new bride, Diana, people were hanging out of windows and crowding onto rooftops to get a glimpse of the shy 21-year-old who had married the heir to the throne.
"We've never seen Kate Middleton here before, and frankly, we don't have a lot of memories of Prince William either," Mr. Finch said, " so there is this novelty factor that I think is kind of like what happened back in the '80s."
What is the upside for Canada?
Tourism. At least that's the hope of the Canadian government and the cities that will play host to the couple.
Cameras from around the world, but especially from Great Britain, are expected to follow the couple's every move. Daybreak, a British morning television show, will be in Quebec City next week to start building the momentum.
"Last year, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Canada on her royal tour, there were 18 registered journalists from the United Kingdom," Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore told a news conference on Monday. "So far there are 85 registered journalists from the United Kingdom on this trip," and more are still registering.
What's the potential downside?
Not everyone is a monarchist – especially in Quebec. That means there could be protests that are captured by international television cameras. Prince Charles had to scurry in through the backdoor of his own Black Watch regiment in Montreal when he visited the city in 2009.
But Tom Freda, the national director of Citizens for a Canadian Republic, said his real objection is related to cost.
"If Canadians want to have these people come and if they want to live out their royalist fantasies and go throw flowers at them, hey, that's all part of society," Mr. Freda said.
But he added that it is wrong that Canadian taxpayers must foot the bill for the cost of any visit by a member of the Royal Family.
What's in it for the Royal Family?
The popularity of the Queen and her brood rises and falls, but polls suggest Canadians are increasingly less willing to embrace the British Monarch as head of state in this country.
So Carolyn Harris, a PhD student at Queen's University in Kingston, who has researched popular and historical perceptions of the monarchy, said the royal firm is keen to attract a new generations of fans.
"I think that there is an interest in getting more young people interested in the monarchy," she said, "and in having younger members of the Royal Family visit as part of that process."