It’s not the first time that the monarch, who is also Queen of Canada, has met Trudeau – and in fact their acquaintance dates back many decades. The Canadian leader’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was once the country’s prime minister himself, and the Queen was introduced to his young son, then just a child, on her visits to Canada in the 1970s. The Evening Standard reports that Trudeau is currently in the UK to meet with our own Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Dutch PM, Mark Rutte, to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine.
It’s been a busy day for the Queen, marking her return to in-person engagements, during which she also welcomed the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, to her Berkshire home. She had been due to host a Diplomatic Reception at Windsor last week, but the Palace announced that she had postponed the event on ‘the Foreign Secretary’s advice’, thought to be in light of the war in Ukraine.
It sparked some inevitable concern when the 95-year-old Queen tested positive for coronavirus, reportedly amid an outbreak at Windsor Castle. It was stressed throughout, however, that she was suffering only with ‘mild, cold-like symptoms’. While she did postpone a number of virtual audiences, she continued to carry out some light duties remotely, such as her weekly telephone call with Boris Johnson.
