From 1911 to 1916, the Duke of Connaught served as the Governor General of Canada, living with the Duchess of Connaught and their daughter Princess Patricia in Ottawa. Throughout this time, the Duke made numerous trips to British Columbia and participated in public events alongside provincial officials. One such event was the ceremonial laying of a cornerstone as part of the Legislative Library's construction in 1912. This laying of stone was a contribution to a series of new additions to the Parliament Buildings. The Library was considered the centerpiece of the additions and both the Parliament Buildings' architect, Francis M. Rattenbury, and the Provincial Librarian, E.O.S. Scholefield, participated in the laying of this stone. The cornerstone is still in place today and can be seen on the Legislative Library exterior.
At the time of the stone laying ceremony, it was noted that the Duke of Connaught had granted his name for the Library's use and the press spent great pomp and ceremony praising the future "Connaught Library." The name did not stick much beyond 1912 and the new addition shortly became known as the "Provincial Library."​
Of the remaining monarchs in Europe, five are descended from Queen Victoria, whose nine children married into various royal families across the continent. The current Swedish King, Carl XVI Gustaf, is the great-grandson of Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria's seventh child and the tenth Governor General of Canada. In 1912, the Duke of Connaught laid the corner stone of the Legislative Library, and so when King Carl XVI Gustaf visited Victoria in 1988, a viewing of the stone was added to his schedule. Although he enjoyed the visit, His Majesty joked that it was unfair that his great-grandfather had only needed to check in at 11 o'clock for the stone-laying, while he was expected to be there at 8:25 in the morning.
