In the video, Trudeau is seen singing Queen’s song Bohemian Rhapsody as Quebec musician Gregory Charles plays the piano. Charles is part of the Canadian delegation and walked in the Queen’s funeral procession on Monday. The clip was shared on Twitter when it garnered over 500,000 views. It is unclear who shot the video.
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The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the video in a statement to Global News on Monday. WATCH LIVE: The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II “After dinner on Saturday, (the) Prime Minister participated in a small gathering with members of the Canadian delegation, gathered to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s life and service,” a spokesman for the prime minister said. Story continues below ad “Gregory Charles, a renowned musician from Quebec and recipient of the Order of Canada, played the piano in the hotel lobby, which resulted in some members of the delegation joining in, including the prime minister.” The spokesman added that, over the past 10 days, “the Prime Minister has taken part in various activities to pay his respects to the Queen”. The Twitter user who posted the now-viral tweet said the video was from “last night at the Savoy”. While the tweet was sent late on Sunday evening Eastern Time, it was already Monday in the UK. Many of those who responded and shared the video mistakenly assumed the video was from the night before Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral — as opposed to Saturday night, when it was actually filmed. Trending Stories
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The tweet also gave the incorrect location of the rally. The incident took place in the lobby of the Corinthia London Hotel and not the Savoy as the user claimed. 0:51 Trudeau leaves for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral Trudeau leaves for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral However, the video sparked a heated debate among some social media users on whether the prime minister acted properly. Story continues below ad “He couldn’t just pretend in public for a few hours that he cares,” responded one user, who received over 400 likes for the comment. Another user, with over 100 likes on his reply, repeated the incorrect claim that the video was from the night before the funeral. “This is inappropriate the night before the Queens funeral in Britain.. I live in Britain trust me this will not go down well with him here,” they said. Other users, however, came to the prime minister’s defense. Some falsely claimed that the video must be out of date, as they believed that Trudeau’s hair – which was recently cut – appeared longer in the video. Another user said they “never understood that they are bothered by politicians that they are human and having fun”. Meanwhile, as the debate continues on social media, the day’s official events continue in London. The prime minister’s spokesman said that, on Monday, “the entire delegation is participating in the State Funeral.” © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
