Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Bernadette McIntyre, was welcomed by King Charles III for a private audience at Buckingham Palace Wednesday, a meeting that also served to showcase gifts from across the province, including the southeast.
“It is a tremendous privilege to be welcomed by His Majesty for a private audience in Buckingham Palace,” said Lieutenant Governor McIntyre in a written statement. “I was honoured to bring greetings from the people of Saskatchewan and to thank The King for his service to our province and our country.”
During the meeting, Her Honour and her husband, Mr. Rich McIntyre, presented the King with several gifts that reflect Saskatchewan’s agricultural strengths and artisanal talents. Among the gifts were lentil and chickpea snacks from Three Farmers, a company that got its start in the Midale area before expanding operations to Saskatoon. The inclusion highlighted the province’s role as a global leader in pulse crop production.
Other gifts included a jar of Savoury Dill Pickle Mustard from Gravelbourg Mustard, celebrating Saskatchewan’s place as the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed. The royal couple also received hand-knit scarves made from Saskatchewan wool, green for the King and blue for Queen Camilla, crafted by Mariette Anderson of Gravelbourg using wool from the Canadian Fibre Mill near Caron.
The Canadian Fibre Mill came to the Lieutenant Governor’s attention through The Campaign for Wool, an initiative launched in 2010 by King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, to promote awareness of wool’s natural benefits and support wool industries in Commonwealth nations. The King remains Patron of the campaign in several countries, including Canada.
The audience with the King is a tradition for Canadian vice-regal representatives early in their term. McIntyre, originally from Bethune and now based in Regina, was sworn in as Saskatchewan’s twenty-fourth Lieutenant Governor on January 31, 2025.