When Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited Canada almost 30 years ago, thousands flocked to see the glamorous young couple, a tour that is prompting comparisons to the imminent visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
A royal frenzy from coast to coast greeted Charles and Diana when they arrived in Canada in June 1983 for their first visit to Canada as a couple and Diana's first visit to the country.
"There was huge media interest and Canadians were fascinated and wanted to see her," Garry Toffoli, the executive director at the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust, told CTV.ca about Diana.
"She was the star of the show."
Diana enthralled Canadians, especially in the moments when she broke protocol -- bending down to speak to children and once stooping to pick up an object dropped by someone in the crowd in Newfoundland.
The media played a huge role in Charles and Diana's visit, and the same is expected with William and Kate's visit, with nearly 1,300 journalists expected to converge on Canada for their tour.
Queen's University British monarchy expert Carolyn Harris said because Diana didn't speak publicly during the tour, many of the journalists during the 1983 visit tried to record her conversations for TV coverage 鈥� to Diana's annoyance.
Harris said now that the Royal Family has Facebook and YouTube accounts, there is much more concentration on social media and Will and Kate are much more used to being in - and dealing with - the spotlight.
Charles and Diana toured Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, PEI, New Brunswick, Edmonton and Ottawa in June and July of that year. The couple celebrated the 200th Loyalist anniversary in Nova Scotia and Prince Charles received an honorary degree at the University of Alberta.
In cities like Edmonton, an estimated 100,000 people jammed the streets in front of City Hall to catch a glimpse of the pair.
The public appearance was followed by an invite-only barbecue at Fort Edmonton Park where Charles and Diana dressed in period costumes.
The royal couple had been married just two years before and Prince William, who was only a year old, stayed home. Diana also celebrated her 22nd birthday in Edmonton during the opening of the World University Games.
Eugene Berezovsky, from the Monarchist League of Canada, said Diana's celebrity status drew the crowds to see the couple just as is expected with Kate.
"Kate enjoys tremendous popularity among Canadians, she's universally admired and the same was true for Princess Diana," he said.
"She was a beautiful young woman, embarking on a new adventure and she was very new to everyone. It's the same with Kate, she's making an introduction."
Toffoli said visits from the younger members of the Royal Family are attempts to cultivate more interest in the monarchy amongst youth in the Commonwealth.
"Will and Kate are, for their generation, what Charles and Diana were for theirs," Toffoli said.
