Queen Elizabeth, Harper meet

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had a private audience with British Queen Elizabeth Friday in Trinidad and Tobago.

The tete-a-tete came during a meeting of Commonwealth of Nations leaders marking the international organization's 60th anniversary.

The Canadian prime minister said in a release he welcomes the announcement that the queen and her husband Prince Philip will visit Canada June 28-July 6, their first tour of the country since 2005. The royal couple are expected to travel to Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba and the National Capital Region.

"The crown endures as a symbol of our unique Canadian identity, uniting Canadians of every background and every region," Harper said. "Canadians hold her majesty and the royal family in deep affection and high regard, a sentiment which is clearly mutual."