Royal pair bid farewell to Canada

2,000 performers gave the Queen a send-off at Calgary's Saddledome

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have bid farewell to Canada at the end of a nine-day state visit.

A TV spectacular - including a hoe-down and country-and-western music - brought a close to the Queen's 22nd trip to Canada, where she is head of state.

The Royal couple's tour of Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces attracted big crowds and culminated in the send-off by 2,000 performers in Calgary city.

The western provinces are celebrating 100 years since joining Canada.

Political turmoil

The trip has also included a state banquet in Edmonton, Alberta; a visit to the national police training centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, to visit a memorial for four Mounties shot dead; and a tribute to First Nations (or Canadian aboriginals) World War II veterans.

The Queen's last visit was in October 2002 for the Golden Jubilee tour.

This tour came amid political turmoil in the Commonwealth country.

Hit by rain throughout, the trip began two days before Paul Martin's Liberal minority government, dogged by a corruption scandal, narrowly won a vote of no confidence.