Canada to be ‘prominent’ at Queen’s lying in state and funeral

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LONDON — Canada may have a “outstanding” position within the lying-in-state and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada’s Excessive Commissioner to the UK says, as preparations in London shift into excessive gear with one week to go earlier than the ceremony.

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Ralph Goodale informed The Canadian Press that members of the Canadian delegation have already began to reach to handle logistics, with RCMP and armed forces personnel anticipated to land within the subsequent two days.

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“Canada, being one of the crucial senior international locations within the Commonwealth, will probably be outstanding firstly of the laying in state after which afterward when there will probably be official visits by the Governor Common and by the Prime Minister,” he stated Sunday in a phone interview.

The late queen’s coffin left Balmoral Fort in Scotland on Sunday, the place it was pushed by hearse to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Will probably be flown to London on Tuesday, the place it’ll finally lie in state for the general public to say their goodbyes within the 4 days main as much as Monday’s funeral.

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Goodale was at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, the place he attended a gathering of Commonwealth representatives hosted by the brand new King Charles III.

Whereas there, he was capable of prolong condolences on behalf of Canada to the brand new monarch and “our greatest needs to him in his new position as king,” he stated.

Goodale additionally thanked the King and his spouse Camilla, who now carries the title of Queen Consort, for his or her most up-to-date go to to Canada in Could.

Goodale stated the funeral preparations are an “wonderful” endeavor for British officers, who’ve solely every week left to complete planning the ceremony for a beloved world determine and co-ordinate the journey and motion of leaders from all world wide who will attend.

He stated he will probably be one in every of three “official mourners” from Canada, together with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. Goodale’s workplace is presently working with Rideau Corridor, the Prime Minister’s Workplace and different entities in Canada to see what number of extra Canadians can attend, he stated.

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He stated Canada may also be represented by a big contingent of armed forces personnel.

“And naturally, (the queen) was very keen on the RCMP, so they may undoubtedly have roles to play within the official pageantry of the road of state after which the funeral itself,” he added.

Goodale stated that whilst his workplace is wrapped up in co-ordinating the planning, he hasn’t overpassed the enormity of the event.

The queen “has been a dominant issue within the lives of so many for therefore lengthy,” he stated. “And now she’s gone. Coming to phrases with it constitutes huge change.”

Goodale stated it’s nonetheless too quickly to inform precisely what sort of king Charles III will probably be for Canada, however there are hints that he could also be “a little bit extra outgoing and rather less reserved” than his mom.

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He famous that the newly-minted monarch went out to greet the general public the day after his mom’s dying, which reveals a need to attach. The accession council — which formally introduced the brand new sovereign — was additionally televised for the primary time, which Goodale sees as a “gesture of being open and inclusive.”

“I sense right here an individual who will need to journey, to attach with individuals, to be available personally as a lot as he probably can,” he stated.

He expects the brand new monarch may also proceed to take an curiosity in points which can be vital to Canada, together with local weather change, power and Indigenous reconciliation.

Throughout their assembly on Sunday, Goodale stated he and the royal couple mentioned their previous official visits to Canada, together with the three-day journey to St. John’s, Yellowknife and Ottawa that befell in Could. Whereas he doesn’t have the authority to increase an official invitation, Goodale stated he tried to “open the door” to future visits and acquired what he thinks was a beneficial response.

“They had been more than happy with (the latest go to) as nicely, and wished it might have been longer, which I took as a sign that they might be coming again fairly quickly,” he stated.