Thursday, January 1, 2026
ADVT 
National

PM stayed in $6k London suite for royal funeral

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Mar, 2023 05:07 PM
  • PM stayed in $6k London suite for royal funeral

OTTAWA - The Prime Minister's Office says Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, stayed in a $6,000 per night hotel suite while attending the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.

The stay at the Corinthia London hotel became the subject of public debate last fall when media honed in on the details of the $400,000 trip, after obtaining documents through access-to-information requests.

But Trudeau's office and Global Affairs Canada did not respond to questions last month about who stayed in the expensive river suite, which features a butler service.

Opposition MPs on the government operations committee asked for a copy of all receipts and invoices associated with the trip last month.

The room was booked on Sept. 9, one day after the Queen's death, for Sept. 15 to 20.

In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office says hotel prices surged significantly ahead of the funeral, and many London hotels were sold out as 500 heads of state and their delegations descended on the city.

The hotel's website currently lists the suite at 5,154 British pounds per night, higher than the 4,800 pounds the government was charged in September.

A night in the river suite next month would come out to more than $8,000 at the current exchange rate.

The Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to questions about the higher prices and why the government chose this particular hotel.

Documents released through access-to-information requests note that the booking was for a three-bed suite. The hotel's website says it has one king-sized bed but there are "connecting rooms available on request."

In November, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre peppered Trudeau with questions in the House of Commons about who stayed in the suite, but he didn't answer.

"The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a significant event for Canadians. Canada was represented by former prime ministers and governors general to pay their respects to the monarch who oversaw almost half of Canada’s time as an independent country," said a press secretary for Trudeau in a written statement Thursday.

MORE National ARTICLES

PM: united stance needed after Freeland harassed

PM: united stance needed after Freeland harassed
A video circulating online over the weekend shows Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland arriving inside City Hall in Grande Prairie, Alta., on Friday, and then being confronted by the man while she approached and entered an elevator.

PM: united stance needed after Freeland harassed

'Still a good day' despite Artemis delay: minister

'Still a good day' despite Artemis delay: minister
Champagne, who was in Florida for a two-day trip that included meetings with Canadian astronauts and NASA officials, got up at 1:30 a.m. to head to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral only to see the mission delayed. Canada is contributing a new robotic arm, the Canadarm 3, to the Gateway space station that NASA eventually plans to put in orbit around the moon.

'Still a good day' despite Artemis delay: minister

Ambulance review after report of B.C. infant death

Ambulance review after report of B.C. infant death
A statement from BC Emergency Health Services says in response to questions about the death in Barriere that it received a call to respond to a patient at a home in the community north of Kamloops on Thursday. It says the closest available ambulance was immediately dispatched, and local firefighters were also requested to assist with the call.

Ambulance review after report of B.C. infant death

$60M back-to-school fund for B.C. families

$60M back-to-school fund for B.C. families
Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says families are already struggling with rising costs due to inflation and the government's fund aims to take the sting out of costs associated with the return to school next month. Whiteside says every school district in the province will receive a minimum of $250,000.

$60M back-to-school fund for B.C. families

VPD identify suspects in assault

VPD identify suspects in assault
The attack occurred outside a convenience store near Commercial Drive and East 10th Avenue in the early hours of July 31. Shortly after midnight, a 42-year-old man stopped to buy a slurpee. There was a brief verbal confrontation between the man and another person who was waiting in line, and when the victim left the store he was jumped by three men.

VPD identify suspects in assault

Floods, drought a major risk to Canada's economy

Floods, drought a major risk to Canada's economy
The report, titled "Aquanomics," is being published today by GHD, a global engineering and architecture services firm. GHD's Canadian water lead Don Holland said there are lots of reports that count up insured losses and physical damage after major events like last fall's atmospheric river in British Columbia.

Floods, drought a major risk to Canada's economy