A spokesman for Mr. Trudeau said: “After dinner on Saturday, the prime minister attended a small gathering with members of the Canadian delegation, gathered to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s life and service. “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: “Over the past 10 days, the Prime Minister has been involved in various activities to honor the Queen and today the entire delegation is attending the state funeral.” Canada’s delegation to the funeral included Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Charles and 16 others, including Mark Tewksbury, the Olympic swimmer and actress Sandra Oh.
“It was a lot of fun”
Charles, 54, told Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper that proceedings for the late queen’s state funeral reminded him of funerals in the Caribbean, mixing somber moments with others celebrating life. He said: “Everyone sang with me for two hours. That was the feeling, it was a lot of fun.” Mr Charles said he had not met the late Queen but had met King Charles many times. The first time was two decades ago when he toured Canada. Mr Charles said the King was “very funny, very entertaining, very good with people”.
