Monday, May 25, 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

442 COVID19 cases for Wednesday

442 COVID19 cases for Wednesday
There are 517 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 73 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, 10 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,883.    

442 COVID19 cases for Wednesday

Woman sexually assaulted while walking with her two children

Woman sexually assaulted while walking with her two children
The man attempted to verbally engage with the woman before making an inappropriate comment and groping her. The suspect then hugged the victim before leaving the area.

Woman sexually assaulted while walking with her two children

The Province is providing $195M in funding in life sciences

The Province is providing $195M in funding in life sciences
Kahlon says the province wants to leverage B-C's contributions to developing and manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines towards learning how to deal with future pandemics.

The Province is providing $195M in funding in life sciences

Lawyer says no proof of corruption needed at former clerk's trial at legislature

Lawyer says no proof of corruption needed at former clerk's trial at legislature
Gavin Cameron accused special prosecutors of trying to "rewrite history" in his closing arguments at James's trial in B-C Supreme Court on charges of fraud and breach of trust.

Lawyer says no proof of corruption needed at former clerk's trial at legislature

New calf among southern resident killer whales

New calf among southern resident killer whales
Three separate pods — K, J and L — make up the endangered southern resident population of just over 70 whales, which mostly travel off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.

New calf among southern resident killer whales

Canadian banks hike prime rate in line with BoC

Canadian banks hike prime rate in line with BoC
Canada's Big Five banks — RBC, TD Bank, BMO, CIBC, and Scotiabank — all said they would increase their prime rates to 2.70 from 2.45 per cent, effective March 3.

Canadian banks hike prime rate in line with BoC