Prince William and Kate begin first official tour in Canada

Newlywed royal couple Prince William and Catherine — better known as William and Kate — flew from Britain to Canada on Thursday for a nine-day tour of the country, their first official foreign trip as husband and wife.

The 29-year-olds boarded a Royal Canadian Air Force plane at London’s Heathrow airport and were due to arrive in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, on Tuesday afternoon local time. William and Kate's Canada trip will kick off with July 1 Canada Day celebrations on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill.

While on their cross-Canada adventure, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will go canoeing, take in military ceremonies and aboriginal sports, attend the Stampede rodeo in the western city of Calgary, and take part in a cooking class in Montreal.

(Check out photos of Will and Kate in: The Duchess Diaries: Kate Middleton's new life) 

They will visit Yellowknife in the remote Northwest Territories, and the French-speaking province of Quebec. The royal couple will also make a stop at visit Green Gables Farm on Prince Edward Island, the setting of the children’s book Anne of Green Gables, which Kate reportedly loves.

Organizers said the trip will "reaffirm the important role" of the monarchy in Canada, The Guardian reports.

However, Quebec anti-monarchists have called for protests when the couple visits Quebec City on July 3.

The royal couple, travelling with only a small entourage of staff, will be followed around the country by some 1,400 journalists, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports.

After finishing their tour of Canada on July 8, they will fly to Los Angeles for events including a polo match and a dinner.

The couple's April 29 wedding at London's Westminster Abbey was watched on television by two billion people around the world.