A spokesperson for Justin Trudeau has defended the Canadian prime minister over a leaked video that showed him singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody in the lobby of a London hotel two days before Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
The 14-second music video, viewed more than 1.5 million times, shows Trudeau in a t-shirt leaning against a piano at the Corinthia Hotel and joining others in a rendition of one of the songs most famous rock band Queen.
Trudeau can be heard singing “Easy come, easy go, little high, little low” and “Any way the wind blows” alongside renowned Canadian pianist Gregory Charles.
The footage initially sparked heated debate over its authenticity, but Trudeau’s team later acknowledged that the cellphone video was real.
“After dinner on Saturday, [the] prime minister joined a small gathering with members of the Canadian delegation, who came together to pay tribute to the life and service of Her Majesty,” a spokesperson for the prime minister said, adding that Trudeau had “took part in various activities” to pay tribute to Elizabeth II in London.
The spokesman said Charles, an Order of Canada recipient, played a number of songs on the piano, “which caused some members of the delegation, including the prime minister, to join in.”
Charles later told the Globe and Mail newspaper that the evening reminded him of a Caribbean funeral, which mixes dark moments with levity and celebration.
“Everyone sang with me for two hours,” he said. “It was the feeling, it was a lot of fun.”
At home, the Prime Minister has been strongly criticized by some political commentators for lacking decorum.
“Embarrassing doesn’t even begin to describe it. Yes, sometimes people need to let off steam. No, there’s no evidence he was drunk,” Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne said. wrote on Twitter. “Come on, it’s the Prime Minister, in a public place, on the eve of the Queen’s funeral. And that’s how he behaves?
Others said the unrest amounted to a manufactured controversy.
Political commentator David Moscrop tweeted“*Asteroid hurtles towards earth, leaving humanity with months to live. Only a collective last ditch effort will save the planet – and the species.
Lawyer and author Mark Bourrie wrote that he wanted others “to sing as much as you want in the days leading up to my funeral”.
“Sailor shanties, dirty songs we sang together as kids, tunes we blasted at 10 on the stereo, songs from records we picked together, songs we heard together at concerts, he tweeted. “Celebrating life.”
Trudeau, who attended the state funeral alongside members of the Canadian delegation, previously said the Queen, whom he met on several occasions, was “one of my favorite people in the world”.
“Internet evangelist. Extreme communicator. Subtly charming alcohol aficionado. Typical tv geek.”