Visit to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador - Day 1

Their Excellencies then attended a ceremony at the Forget-Me-Not Memorial Garden, Garden of Tears.

On July 1, 2016, Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston attended a dinner hosted by Their Honours Frank Fagan, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Mrs. Patricia Fagan to mark the end of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal’s visit to Canada. The event was held at Government House in St. John's.

Their Excellencies planted the last two flowers of the Garden of Tears, a major artistic installation created by Newfoundland and Labrador artist Jim Maunder, on the lawn of the Art and Culture Centre, in St. John’s.

The Forget-Me-Not Memorial Garden, Garden of Tears was created on June 1, 2016, to commemorate the more than 1 500 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who lost their lives during the First World War.

Every day, from June 1 to July 1, forget-me-nots—a symbol of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment—will be planted at sunset, one for each military casualty.

Their Excellencies attended a performance of Ours, a new Canadian opera commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel.

The two-act opera follows the true story of members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War.

Written by Canadian composer John Estacio, with libretto by Canadian writer Robert Chafe, Ours is the first full-length grand opera ever to be set in Atlantic Canada.