Royalty is to come to a Canadian casino as the Duchess of York is set to make a speech.

A royal visitor is set to make an appearance at a casino in Canada in May.

The Duchess of York, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, will make a motivational speech at the River Cree Resort and Casino on May 8th.

Jim Lash, director of marketing at River Cree, explained that the Duchess is flying into Canada from Europe especially for the appearance.

"We're putting her into one of our ballrooms, which are a lot more intimate," he commented.

"You can't be intimate when you're looking 45 rows back, trying to look someone in the eye while you're doing a motivational speech."

Mr Lash said that the popularity of the British royal family in Canada should ensure that the evening turns out to be "memorable".

He added that it will be "exciting" for many people to have royalty come to the area.

Since being divorced from Prince Andrew in 1996, the Duchess has gone on to found her own charity, the Sarah Ferguson Foundation.

She has also written a number of books, including a set of children's novels detailing the tales of Budgie the Little Helicopter, which were later made into a series of television programmes.