Prince Edward begins his Saskatchewan visit

Royalty has arrived in Saskatchewan.

The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, landed at 15 Wing Moose Jaw shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The Lieutenant Governor was the first to greet him at the plane.

He spoke with dignitaries, inspected the troops and viewed our military aircrafts.

After that, he visited the armory, and met with members of 15 Wing and their families.

It’s his fifth visit to Saskatchewan, but only third time in Moose Jaw.

“It’s going to be a short visit, but I’m sure many people are going to be very pleased for the opportunity to meet the prince,” said Moose Jaw Mayor, Deb Higgins. “He’s always very personable and willing to be in the public.”

It seems her prediction proved true. After his base visit, he went into town where a crowd gathered to meet him.

He spent about half an hour shaking hands and talking to Moose Javians. People who got to meet him said he made jokes about the weather, and getting off work early to meet him.

“It was pretty neat to meet the prince,” said one person in the crowd. “I’d seen him once before in 2006 when he was in Regina, and it was good to see him again. He’s matured a little bit, but he’s a handsome man and he represents the queen well.”

“I was excited to see him because my mom is from England, and she’s a war bride. She likes to keep track of royalty. So I took a picture for her,” said another royal watcher.

It takes a lot of planning to welcome a royal visitor to the province. This visit has been in the works for months.

This time the province is putting a larger emphasis on social media.

They’re encouraging everyone to come out and take photos and post them using #SKRoyalVisit.

Saskatchewan’s Chief of Protocol, Jason Quilliam, said the royals are more than just celebrities, they connect us to our history and heritage.

“The Crown as a concept is ubiquitous, it’s everywhere,” said Quilliam. “For example, when the media reports what a crown minister does or a crown prosecutor does they’re doing the work on behalf of our head of state. As we approach the 150th anniversary of the confederation of Canada in a couple short years, visits from the royal family really help to solidify that bond that’s existed for longer than most of us can remember.”

Prince Edward heads to Regina Thursday. You can catch a glimpse of him at Government House at 3 p.m. Then he moves on to Saskatoon for an appearance Friday morning, and another event in Swift Current Friday afternoon. Click here for his full schedule of events.