This past weekend, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the subject of backlash after a video of him singing at a London, U.K., hotel bar two days before Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was circulated widely online. In the 15-second video recorded Saturday, Trudeau can be seen wearing a t-shirt and singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, while acclaimed Quebec musician Gregory Charles played piano. Critics on social media and in newspaper columns argued that it was inappropriate and disrespectful during a time of mourning. And last month, a video of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing at a party leaked online and sparked outrage among some Finns, who said the incident could damage the country’s reputation. But experts say world leaders should be able to let loose and enjoy themselves every now and then — within limits. Political marketing expert Clive Veroni says the outrage against Trudeau’s singing in London was “blown out of proportion.” “The prime minister was in London for a couple of days before the funeral … and had a free Saturday night and was standing around a piano and singing with some friends for a couple of hours,” he told CTVNews.ca over the phone on Wednesday morning. “I think at the most basic level, we can say that, yes, people who are leaders of governments also have private lives and they should be allowed to enjoy themselves in their time off.” Veroni said it was “even more surprising” to see the outrage when the Finnish prime minister’s party videos were leaked.
“This is a perfectly ordinary thing for someone to be doing at that age — frankly, at any age,” he said. Lydia Miljan, a political science professor at the University of Windsor, says while world leaders like Trudeau are “certainly allowed to have downtime,” they need to be mindful of context and the timing.
Source: ctvnews.ca
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
