ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.09.21 08:30
About 500 foreign dignitaries, including world leaders, attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of England on the 19th (local time), and each episode continues.
On this day, according to Canada’s local global news, etc., a video of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau singing in a hotel lobby while he was in London for a funeral has been circulated, drawing criticism. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sang “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the representative song of the British rock group Queen, with piano accompaniment at the lobby of the Corinthia London Hotel, where he was staying, on the 17th.
In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau, wearing a red short-sleeved shirt, sang with his hands on the piano in the lobby. Canadian National Medal-winning singer and official mourner Gregory Charles played piano. The video has now been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
The Canadian prime minister’s office confirmed on the 19th that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the one who appeared in the video, but said, “Prime Minister Trudeau attended a small gathering to pay tribute to the life and service of the Queen.” But she has drawn criticism for not acting discreetly in public places when the prime minister visited to attend the state funeral of the head of the Commonwealth, Global News reported. An opposition lawmaker also pointed out, “I don’t want to make a problem because I sang a song, but I think I might have chosen a better song than Bohemian Rhapsody.”
French President Emmanuel Macron was criticized for his dress. A photo taken in front of Westminster Hall with Mrs. Bridget on the 18th, the day before her funeral, became a controversy.
France 24 reported on the 19th that Macron walked here wearing a suit, sunglasses and sports shoes. At that time, at Westminster Hall, the general public’s condolence that started on the 14th was continuing. France’s Le Figaro called President Macron’s athletic shoes “discordant footwear”. President Macron dressed him in a black suit and shoes on the day of his funeral.
However, when it was reported that the sports shoes worn by President Macron were brand-name products, the voice of “the rich president” grew even louder. These athletic shoes are made by J.F. of France. M. Figaro said that Weston’s products cost 570 euros (approximately 800,000 won) per pair.
US President Biden was late on the day of the funeral, so he had to wait and enter. President Biden was scheduled to arrive between 9:35-55 am, but he arrived following 10:00 am, so he entered the stadium around 10:07 am for formalities. President Biden left the US ambassador’s residence in the UK in his private car “Beast”, but the movement was delayed due to traffic problems.
“President Biden is the most influential person in the world, but he was not allowed to change the date of his elaborately planned funeral,” said the British daily Guardian.
In the implementation of such a thorough plan, “Operation London Bridge”, a comprehensive plan for responding to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, was completed without any particular safety-related incidents.
The British government mobilized large-scale military and police forces for the funeral, which many leaders gathered. According to Bloomberg news agency, more than 10,000 police and regarding 6,000 military personnel were mobilized for the Queen’s state funeral. “As a single event, this funeral is bigger than the 2012 London Olympics and the Platinum Jubilee,” said Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Conde.