OTTAWA — King Charles will deliver the Speech from the Throne on Tuesday to open a new session of Canada’s Parliament. He will sit on a throne inlaid with walnut from Windsor Park, the estate of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

It’s symbolic: in 1957, Elizabeth II became the first monarch to deliver a speech from the throne in person in Canada — a ceremony usually performed by the governor general. That was also the first time she addressed Canadians on television from her office at Rideau Hall, delivering a speech in English and French.

The 1957 speech focused on the plans of John Diefenbaker’s government, and the queen noted that she wanted to be remembered by Canadians as a ruler who served them “with all her heart.” She did indeed reign in Canada for more than 65 years, and returned for a new speech in 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee.

Amid new economic realities and challenges to cultural harmony, as Elizabeth said then, “Canada is entering a new era.” Those words still ring true today, now in the name of King Charles.