The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, more popularly known as William and Kate, are scheduled to tour Canada from June 30 to July 8 and will be stopping off in Yellowknife, known as the Diamond Capital of North America. Will the royal newlyweds don hard hats and explore the mines? Or will they be presented with gifts of fine Canadian diamonds? 

Yellowknife is the capital of the country's Northwest Territories province, which is home to the most prolific diamond mine in North America – BHP Billiton's Ekati mine, which produces about 3% of the world's rough diamonds by volume and about 5% by value. BHP Billiton has signed a long-term contract to supply rough diamonds to the Corona Jewellery Company for its Maple Leaf Diamonds brand.

Hary Winston's Diavik Diamond Mine, which is expected to produce 6.9 million carats of diamonds by the end of 2011, is also located in the NWT – on an island in the province's Lac de Gras.

Diamond mining giant De Beers is also active in the NWT. De Beers owns the Snap Lake diamond mine and has partnered with Mountain Province Diamonds to develop the Gahcho Kue diamond project 80 km. southeast of Snap Lake.

In the relatively short time since the early 1990s, Canada has become a diamond producing powerhouse. The 2009 Kimberley Process Annual Global Survey cited Canada as the fifth-largest producer of rough diamonds in the world by volume (10.9 million carats) and the second-largest producer by value ($1.47 billion).

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