William, Kate end Canada 'love-in' with rodeo parade

CALGARY: Prince William and Catherine on Friday ended a whirlwind tour of Canada, where they were greeted like rock stars, with a huge parade of horses, cowboys and rodeo clowns before jetting to Los Angeles for a red carpet gala.

Their nine-day visit to the Commonwealth country was their first official trip abroad since the British prince and the former Kate Middleton wed in April.

"In 1939, my great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, said of her first tour of Canada with her husband, King George VI: 'Canada made us.' Catherine and I now know very well what she meant," William said in a parting speech late Thursday.

"Canada has far surpassed all that we were promised," he added. "Our promise to Canada is that we shall return."

On their last Canadian stop in Calgary, the couple took in a night of rodeo chuck wagon races, bull riding and "mutton busting" for kids, and rode in 1912 stagecoach. "Well, that was different," the prince commented.

Friday morning, William and Kate donned white, broad-rimmed cowboy hats -- made locally from rabbit fur -- blue jeans and Western shirts (Kate's blouse by Alice Temperley) to kick off Calgary's 99th Stampede festival and agricultural exhibition with an official klaxon sounding.

Hundreds of thousands gathered along the parade route from dawn for a glimpse of the couple as they barrelled past in a black car, waving to the crowd, followed by local tribesmen in traditional regalia with their beaded horses, marching bands and a Cinderella pumpkin carriage.

The city's rodeo harkens back to the days when lonesome cowboys rode Alberta's open ranges, rolling foothills and badlands.

It attracts one million spectators annually to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, "showcases the pioneer spirit and true grit that have made this country great."

After a visit to Calgary's zoo, the jet-setting royals bade farewell to Canada and headed for Los Angeles for a three-day visit to the US West Coast state of California.

The Duchess of Cambridge donned a stunning red silk and wool coat dress designed by British-French designer Catherine Walker and adorned with a golden diamond-encrusted brooch in the shape of a maple leaf -- the symbol of Canada.

"It has been a privilege for Canada to host the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who return home knowing the affection that Canadians from all regions of the country have for them and for all members of our Royal Family," Harper said in a statement.

"This is the beginning of a beautiful and lasting friendship -- one of deep affection and loyalty -- and we look forward to sharing more of our splendid country with them on their next Royal Tour."

The young couple were to arrive in Los Angeles later Friday, but there will be no beach outings or Disneyland rollercoaster rides on the royal itinerary.

Instead, they attend a British Academy of Film and Television Arts dinner honouring 42 young British filmmakers and a charity polo match in Santa Barbara before heading home on Sunday.

In Canada, the duke and duchess of Cambridge paddled in a canoe in the far north shared the grief of thousands displaced by forest fires in Alberta and snuggled in a rustic wooden cabin in the Rockies.

William also took time to pilot a Sea King helicopter into a lake in emergency water landing drills in Prince Edward Island.

Huge crowds turned out daily to welcome them and millions more watched their adventure on television.

"I say, we haven't seen a love-in like that since the first visit of the Beatles!" a smitten Harper told a private reception late Thursday.

"Indeed, everywhere you went you left a trail of utterly charmed Canadians in your wake."

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011