On Monday, thousands of Canadians lined the streets of the nation’s capital for a parade as they braved the rain and cold to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. They brought Corgis and elaborate brooches.
A few hours after her funeral in London, people gathered in Ottawa under a sea of umbrellas to observe mounted members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a military brass band march by Parliament.
People gathered along the procession route to pay their respects, including monarchists, government workers who had the day off, and those who simply loved the queen. They sipped hot coffee to stay warm and reminisced about the one and only monarch most people had ever known.
Canada is a member of the Commonwealth.
The 32-year-old Alexander Kerrison, who attended the event with his wife and a wrapped-up newborn, said of the woman, “She’s always been a bedrock during periods of change, turbulence, and instability.”
Noella Trimble echoed the sentiment, saying, “I appreciate her for that. Through ups and downs, Elizabeth remained composed and graceful… and stayed the course. I just wanted to be here to say farewell to Canada’s queen.”
People in the throng kept handing a nearby police officer cameras, asking him to take pictures of them from his vantage point.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had designated the day a national holiday, but the majority of companies were still open.
According to Gordon Pringle, he came out to “bend my head and pay tribute to a great hero, someone who in our lifetime was a hero,”
