By Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends Queen’s lying-in-state, meets King Charles III

Sep 17, 2022 | 2:00 PM

LONDON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped to view Queen Elizabeth’s casket and met with King Charles III in London on Saturday, as people from around the world gather ahead of the queen’s funeral.

The royal family confirmed King Charles met with Trudeau as well as Anthony Albanese of Australia, Philip Davis of the Bahamas, Andrew Holness of Jamaica and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern.

The news release included a photo of Trudeau and King Charles seated in front of a fireplace.

The King’s office also confirmed he met with governors general from across the world at a lunch reception.

Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, attended the queen’s lying-in-state earlier in the day and signed a book of condolences for the late monarch.

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Livestream footage from Westminster Hall briefly showed Trudeau and his wife as they stopped by the queen’s flag-draped coffin.

Trudeau is one of dozens of world leaders who are in London ahead of Monday’s royal funeral.

Canada’s delegation to London also includes Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and her husband, former governors general Michaëlle Jean and David Johnston, as well as former prime ministers Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper.

Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders will also attend the funeral, as will several Order of Canada recipients including former swimmer Mark Tewksbury and actress Sandra Oh.

World leaders and members of the public alike are converging on London ahead of Monday’s funeral.

On Saturday, people could already be seen setting up camping chairs to stake out prime spots along the flag-lined road leading to Buckingham Palace, where the queen’s coffin will pass in a military procession after Monday’s funeral.

Crowds were also heavy around Buckingham Palace and Green Park, where people have been laying floral tributes to the queen.

The gate to Green Park was closed on Saturday morning, leading to confusion as hundreds of people found themselves stuck in a narrow pathway outside the barricade.

The government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport also announced Saturday afternoon that the lineup for members of the public to see the queen lying in state was up to 11 hours long as of 5 p.m., down from 24 hours earlier in the day.

The accessible line, for people with limited mobility, was permanently closed after reaching capacity, the department tweeted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2022.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press