Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Kick Off Their Royal Tour in Canada

Jacob King/Pool/Getty Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have touched down in Canada for an important tour in honor of Queen Elizabeth.

The couple landed in St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday. Their tour, which will cover more than 2,000 miles over the next three days, will also take them to Ottawa and Yellowknife in the Northwestern Territories.

Ostensibly to thank Canadians for their support of Queen Elizabeth over the 70 years of her reign, the tour will also be a chance for the royal couple to "meet with, listen to and celebrate with Canadians from coast to coast to coast," Chris Fitzgerald, Deputy Private Secretary said last month.

But coming in the wake of Prince William and Kate Middleton's controversial tour of Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, and Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex's visit to other Caribbean countries — both of which were met with protests over Britain's colonial past and historic role in the slave trade and questions over Queen as head of state — all eyes will be on the couple and how they're accepted by the indigenous people of Canada.

Charles and Camilla are expected to focus on local communities, continuing a relationship the Prince of Wales has fostered over decades while on visits to Canada.

Chris Jackson/Getty Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles

After a welcome ceremony, which will be attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and see Charles make a short speech, the royal couple took part "in a solemn moment of reflection and prayer at the Heart Garden, on the grounds of Government House, with Indigenous leaders and community members in the spirit of reconciliation," Fitzgerald outlined last month. "Heart Gardens are in memory of all Indigenous children who were lost to the residential school system, in recognition of those who survived, and the families of both."

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Chris Jackson/Getty Prince Charles

"Throughout the tour, Their Royal Highnesses will take the opportunity to continue to engage with Indigenous communities. Over five decades, HRH continues to learn from Indigenous peoples in Canada and around the world," Fitzgerald added. "[The Prince] recognizes their deep ties to the land and water and the critical traditional knowledge they hold to restore harmony between people and nature."

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GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Prince Charles

There is also pressure on Charles to say apologize for the mistreatment of indigenous children by the Anglican Church — of which the Queen is the head. Starting in the 19th century, thousands of indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and enrolled in a Christian-run network of residential schools. The process started when Canada was still a British colony. In recent years, community leaders have called for reparations from the Anglican Church, which ran dozens of the schools until 1969.