TRENTON, Canada

King Charles opened a new session of the Canadian parliament on Tuesday with a rebuke of US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada.

But the king never mentioned Trump by name and couched his criticism of the US leader, for the most part, in inoffensive language while still getting his point across that Canada would remain Canada.

“Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the government is determined to protect,” said the king.

“The True North is indeed strong and free,” said Charles near the end of his 27-minute Speech from the Throne. His words drew loud and sustained applause from MPs, senators and others.

It was only the third time since Canada became a separate nation in 1867 that a royal has read the Throne Speech, which outlines the government’s plans for the future. Charles followed in the footsteps of his mother Queen Elizabeth II who did it in 1957 and 1977.

Charles's reading may prove to be one of the most significant throne speeches in Canadian history as the Commonwealth country struggles to maintain its sovereignty while Trump continues to muse about making it the 51st US state.

The royal visit and the reading of the throne speech were meant to solidify Canada’s sovereignty as an independent nation.

While at times Trump has said annexation is just a joke, Prime Minister Mark Carney and other politicians have rebuked Trump and believe the threat remains.

Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, an independent organization of 56 countries with historic ties to the UK. The king serves as its titular head.

Whether Trump will get the message is anyone’s guess.

The throne speech is largely written by the government and besides sovereignty, it touched on other issues such as affordable housing, the environment, Indigenous issues and border security.