TORONTO (AP) – Queen Elizabeth II attended a memorial Thursday for four slain Mounties in what was the deadliest attack on Canadian police officers in 120 years.

The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, began the third day of their visit at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police national training center in Regina in the western province of Saskatchewan, where she met privately with the families of the slain Mounties.

At a service, the couple placed a wreath at a memorial for the slain officers.

The queen, wearing a blue suit and matching straw hat, resumed her western tour to celebrate the centennials of Saskatchewan and Alberta joining the Canadian confederation.

The 79-year-old monarch is Canada’s symbolic head of state and has visited the country 22 times since her coronation.

Though Canadians are generally indifferent to the monarchy, many have great affection for the queen, whose silhouette graces their coins.

The queen and Prince Philip arrived late Tuesday in Regina, 66 years to the day after her father, King George VI, became the first reigning monarch to visit Canada.

“For more than half the life of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta you have been our queen,” Prtime Minister Paul Martin said at the welcoming ceremony. “You have born witness to the changes, the challenges and the achievements of Canadians. You are a part of that history; you’re majesty, you are a part of us.”

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On the Net:

Royal visit site: http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/royalvisit2005

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