During her 70-year reign as Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II often presented to most of the world as a strong and fearless leader.
However, when she wasn’t focused on her duties to the crown, those around her could get a glimpse of her kind and warm nature.
Among countless politicians the Queen met during her time, former prime minister Jean Chretien said her admiration for the people of the Commonwealth shined best through her kindness.
Chretien told CTV’s Your Morning the only other person he’s seen receive the same adoration from crowds was Nelson Mandela.
“It was an aura of respect and admiration that people had when she would appear,†he said on Friday. “She was a fantastic monarch and everyone recognized her as such around the globe.â€
Chretien recalled how the Queen loved to laugh, and showed that despite her responsibilities to the crown, she was still a human being.
“She was a great human being; she was the monarch but she was a person that enjoyed life,†he said.
British filmmaker John Bridcut, who made several documentaries on the Royal Family, said the Queen was a working mother of four throughout the 1940s and 1960s, and it was considered unusual for a matriarch of her social status to juggle both roles.
“Like many professional women find today, there's quite a strain between the amount of time you can give your children and the amount of time you need to give to your work. So I think it was difficult for her and for the children,†Bridcut told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday.
While raising children while on the throne might have been difficult, Bridcut said the Queen was able to give more affection to her grandchildren and great-grand children as the years went on.
“When she became a grandmother she found she could be warm to her grandchildren and she had more time for them,†he said. “She’s always had that real affection for babies but it was different when it was her own children.â€
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney also shared one of his fondest memories of Queen Elizabeth II during his term in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Mulroney told CTV’s Your Morning about the time the Queen visited him and his wife Mila for a state dinner. However, what started off as a formal dinner quickly became a family gathering.
“We were going to have a small dinner on a Sunday night at 24 Sussex drive and she expressed that she'd like to have the kids included,†Mulroney said on Friday.
He said his four children were all stunned to see the Queen in their dining room but throughout the dinner she assured them by engaging in conversation like she would with any other important political figure.
“We had a huge family dinner and I said to Mila, you know the Queen she's a lovely person and she said, ‘why’ and I said ‘because she paid as much attention to the kids as she would to the chancellor.’â€
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B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
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If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
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Nike Inc. said Thursday it has named Elliott Hill as its president and CEO, replacing John Donahoe, who will retire next month.
Maple Leaf Foods asserted its innocence in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme ahead of a hearing to determine whether it will be added to an ongoing class-action lawsuit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
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Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he's been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season's playoffs.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.
An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.
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