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Of course that’s a much weightier matter. But don’t dismiss the importance of having the King in Canada at this fraught moment. If anything can shine a bright light on why it’s so ludicrous to think this country would ever become the 51st state of the U.S.A., that’s it.

I’ve never understood why certain self-identified Canadian nationalists react so negatively to the monarchy. They usually argue that it’s some kind of foreign imposition that holds us back from being truly independent and fully “Canadian.”

But the threat to Canadian independence doesn’t come from across the ocean. It’s right next door. And the monarchy, personified by Charles as the King of Canada, makes clear in the most unmistakable way that this is a different country, with its own distinct history, politics and traditions. That it’s not just a big but formless patch of resource-rich territory available for acquisition by the Great Republic to the south.

It’s clear Trump has no inkling of this. He doesn’t get the point of Canada as Canada, as a separate nation from the United States. I think he honestly feels he’s doing us a favour by saying we should become a state. Some Americans have been thinking that way since at least the 1770s, when they sent an army to invade Quebec and were shocked when the locals didn’t rush to join their revolution against Great Britain.

Our distinct traditions are made clear every time a government delivers a throne speech, usually read by the Governor General in Ottawa or a lieutenant governor in a provincial legislature. But it’s been almost half a century since the monarch performed the task in person — since 1977, in fact, when in both official languages for the government of Pierre Trudeau.

Getting Charles to do the deed this time, on relatively short notice, shows Carney has real clout with Buckingham Palace as well as an appreciation for the importance of this moment. It will add an extra layer of significance to the opening of Parliament and give his minority government a bit of a glow as it gets down to business.

It shows Charles gets the point, too. There’s been griping in some quarters that the King hasn’t done more to defend Canada’s sovereignty. There are strict limits on what a monarch can do or say on a political matter — and it’s even trickier for one who’s also the head of state of other countries. But coming to Ottawa, even as he continues treatment for cancer, is an unmissable statement of support.

I’ll bet even Trump will be impressed. British PM shamelessly in February when he visited the president and presented him with a personal invitation from Charles to make a second state visit to Britain. Trump seemed genuinely chuffed; he clearly respects the monarchy and its trappings, if only as one showman to another. The fact that Carney has an actual king on his side won’t be lost on him.

For Canadians, especially those who aren’t quite sure why we have a monarchy, it will serve as a useful reminder that the institution actually plays an important role in this country. No doubt there will be chatter about Charles being a “foreign king,” but it’s been an awfully long time since the monarchy was something imposed on Canadians. We still have it because it serves a purpose and Charles’s visit will make that even clearer.

And then, his job done, he and Queen Camilla will go home to London. It’s a perfect arrangement — Monarchy Lite, if you like. No need for Canadians to deal with the expense and often messy fallout of having a Royal Family underfoot. We’ll be able to get back to the hard work of dealing with actual problems — but just a little bit stronger and more confident.