Saturday, December 20, 2025
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

B.C. announces $500 million renter protection fund

B.C. announces $500 million renter protection fund
Premier David Eby says the fund will allow non-profit groups to buy older buildings and protect renters from property speculators. Eby says in B.C. and across Canada older rental buildings are being purchased by property speculators and large corporations that redevelop the housing, evict the current tenants and either increase the rent or sell the units.    

B.C. announces $500 million renter protection fund

Canfor to close pulp line in Prince George, B.C.

Canfor to close pulp line in Prince George, B.C.
The shut down will result in a reduction of 280,000 tonnes of market kraft pulp annually. Canfor says the decision to close the pulp line at the Prince George mill came after an "extensive analysis" of its operations and the long-term supply of fibre in the area.

Canfor to close pulp line in Prince George, B.C.

3 Surrey homicide victims identified

3 Surrey homicide victims identified
On January 9, 2023, shortly after noon, Surrey RCMP attended a residence in the 15600-block of 112 Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered three deceased adults inside the home. The IHIT says the bodies of 56-year-old Xiao Yan Zhen, 58 year-old Li Li and their 24-year-old son, Daniel Li, were in the home.      

3 Surrey homicide victims identified

Storm lashes B.C. south coast with rain, wind

Storm lashes B.C. south coast with rain, wind
Rain and wind warnings cover much of Vancouver Island and the inner south coast as the remnants of a storm that brought flooding to California now hammers southern B.C. Environment Canada estimates total rainfall of 50 to 100 millimetres before conditions ease Friday.

Storm lashes B.C. south coast with rain, wind

New Westminster Police on the lookout for a blue Pontiac Sunfire after man brutally assaulted

New Westminster Police on the lookout for a blue Pontiac Sunfire after man brutally assaulted
The New Westminster Police Department Major Crime Unit has learned the victim was assaulted by someone who was with two other people at the time of the assault. After the assault, the group left the area in a vehicle, and investigators are hoping by sharing video of this vehicle, a suspect will be identified.

New Westminster Police on the lookout for a blue Pontiac Sunfire after man brutally assaulted

Man arrested and charged for carrying a gun into a Downtown bar: VPD

Man arrested and charged for carrying a gun into a Downtown bar: VPD
VPD officers responded to Granville and Robson Street around 6 p.m. Monday, after a witness reported seeing a man with a gun inside a bar. Marcus Phillip Van Schilt, 45, is now charged with possession of a weapon and breaching bail.  

Man arrested and charged for carrying a gun into a Downtown bar: VPD