The King’s visit is a response to Trump’s 51st state threats. Will it help? [Video]

King Charles III will soon land in Ottawa to deliver the throne speech that kicks off a new session of Parliament. It’s only the third time the Canadian monarch has read the speech from the throne, and it’s happening now for a reason.

“If you want to make a point about Canadian sovereignty, what better symbol than the embodiment of that sovereignty?” said Philippe Lagassé, a professor at Carleton University who specializes in the role of the Crown in Canada’s political system.

“The King is the personification of the state. He is at the apex of it because he personifies it. He is, therefore, the legal personality of Canada,” Lagassé added.

For months, Trump has threatened to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, as recently as his Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Trump’s ambassador to Canada, for his part, said he knows the King’s visit is meant …