Residing in Canada during the formative period following the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Duke of Kent participated in a society struggling to define itself. Prince Edward represented the vibrant role of the Crown in this country, and was the first to conceptually unite the English and French speaking peoples of British North America under the term “Canadian.” When he travelled to the newly constituted province of Upper Canada in 1792, Prince Edward visited the Loyalist settlements emphasizing British sovereignty in an area threatened by a growing American republic, a situation that would come to a head with the War of 1812. In Lower Canada, the duke embodied the role of the crown as an encourager and protector of French culture on the continent. Appointed commander-in-chief of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and later for all of British North America, the Duke of Kent has a dramatic impact on the Maritimes. For Halifax, in particular, the duke’s time in residence is still considered a “Golden Age” by Haligonians.Nathan Tildridge appropriately calls the Duke of Kent the “most honoured of Canada’s forgotten historical figures,” and this phrase rings true when I look out across my province. In Nova Scotia, and indeed in much of the rest of Canada, most notably Prince Edward Island, his name is still very much alive, a testimony to a man who lived with us longer than most of his notable contemporaries, and who now enjoys pride of place in our history books.Interestingly, Tildridge refers to the Duke of Kent as the “Father of the Canadian Crown.” Indeed, it was the Duke of Kent that began the process of meaningful travel throughout Canada, a hallmark of Canada’s royal family today. The duke’s presence in the country embodied the complex constitutions developing in British North America, as well as the Crown’s relationship with First Nations, French Canada, Loyalist settlements, and even the United States. Finally, it is the duke’s only daughter, Queen Victoria, who presided over Confederation and the creation of the Dominion of Canada.As Her Majesty’s representative in the province of Nova Scotia, I am pleased that this work highlights the place of Prince Edward in our national story.