Thursday, June 4, 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

Surrey shooting lands female in hospital with serious injuries

Surrey shooting lands female in hospital with serious injuries
Police located the residence where the shooting is believed to have occurred and multiple persons have been detained. The investigation is very early stages however, this appears to be an isolated incident, with no active threat to public safety.

Surrey shooting lands female in hospital with serious injuries

Omicron could boost waning immunity: scientists

Omicron could boost waning immunity: scientists
Tests on around 9,000 donated blood samples from across Canada show that antibodies in the blood which fight the virus declined in October among all age groups, with experts saying the waning immunity is likely to have continued in November and December.

Omicron could boost waning immunity: scientists

Rising COVID-19 cases causing staffing shortages

Rising COVID-19 cases causing staffing shortages
Canada's most populous provinces are facing staff shortages in health- and long-term care as Canada continues to face record-breaking COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations related to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Rising COVID-19 cases causing staffing shortages

Canada, allies condemn Iran snub on PS752

Canada, allies condemn Iran snub on PS752
The joint condemnation Thursday by Canada, Britain, Sweden and Ukraine comes after Iran ignored a Wednesday deadline by the coalition of countries to negotiate a settlement for the Jan. 8, 2020 disaster that saw Iran's Revolutionary Guard shoot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.

Canada, allies condemn Iran snub on PS752

New tax could reduce housing inequality: report

New tax could reduce housing inequality: report
B.C.'s Housing Ministry says the escalating cost of housing is "concerning" and it will review the report. The B.C. government's housing plan includes cracking down on tax fraud, a vacancy tax and building tens of thousands of new homes, it says.    

New tax could reduce housing inequality: report

Snow slams B.C., rain and freezing rain to come

Snow slams B.C., rain and freezing rain to come
About 15 centimetres of snow blanketed Metro Vancouver overnight and almost double that amount was recorded at Victoria International airport as the latest storm slammed British Columbia's south coast. Airports in Vancouver and Victoria were reporting early delays and telling travellers to check with their airlines and all transit services were suspended in Greater Victoria.

Snow slams B.C., rain and freezing rain to come