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Day 7: 6 July 2011
Slave Lake, Alberta

Prince William meets wheelchair-bound Riley Oldford before departing for Slave Lake

What was initially thought as a day off turned into a visit to Slave Lake, a town almost entirely reduced to ashes by forest fires less than two months ago. Some 40 per cent of Slave Lake in Northern Alberta was razed when ground when it was hit by a wildfire on May 15. The visit was planned ahead of time, according to officials, but wasn’t announced so as not to distract reconstruction efforts. Nonetheless, the locals were beyond thrilled of the visit and came in throngs. The request to tour the devastated town came directly from the royal couple

Kate was wearing the same navy designer blazer she wore to depart the UK, her favourite pair of skin tight jeans and Pied A Terre black wedges with a cream ruffled chiffon shirt. Read more about today’s look.  William was smart but casual in jeans and a blazer.

The Duke and Duchess spent an hour and a half touring areas of the town which were affected by the fire and visited Northern Lakes College, where they met with emergency services personnel from the fire brigade, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the medical response team. William and Kate had a private meeting with families affected by the disaster.

Slave Lake’s residents turned out to catch a glimpse of Kate and William, basking in the sunshine with flowers, posters and balloons. They considered the visit a major morale boost.

 

William & Kate inspect the disaster sites in Slave Lake

 

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After the Slave Lake visit, a much-deserved 24-hour down time.  William and Kate had spent the night at Skoki Lodge, a remote, rustic resort high above Lake Louise.  Known for its majestic vistas, they took a helicopter ride through the Rocky Mountains. The lodge has no electricity or running water. However, it was reported that one cabin was retrofitted just for the royal couple, with a full bathroom flown to the location in two separate parts. Picture here.

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