King Charles III recently marked a royal first during his trip to Canada—but supporters were outraged by former prime minister Justin Trudeau‘s “disrespectful” gesture during the historic moment.
On Tuesday, May 27, Trudeau, 53, attended the State Opening of Parliament, where King Charles, 76, delivered a speech to mark the opening of Canada’s parliament—becoming the second monarch to ever do so after his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
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As Trudeau arrived at the Senate Chamber, however, the politician turned heads with his shocking fashion choice. He wore a blue suit paired with a teal and orange pair of Adidas running shoes.
On social media, many royal fans were indignant on King Charles’ behalf.
One X user declared, “Totally disrespectful ~ Trudeau is a clown.”
Another critic wrote via X, “This is how the Trudeau’s showed up for the King’s throne speech. Margaret #Trudeau looked awful and look at Justin’s shoes. No class.”
Someone else speculated, “Justin Trudeau wore those shoes on purpose so the world would talk about him again.”
Meanwhile, a different X user commented, “Of course he did.. what an embarrassment.”
Still, one person pointed out, “Everyone is pissed off at @JustinTrudeau for not wearing formal shoes to [Throne] Speech. but the man is retired He’s not longer the PM he retired.”
Another unbothered X user shared, “The number of people commenting on Trudeau’s choice of footwear. Those are actually bada– Adidas Gazelles and I love that colour combo. I’ve always been partial to green.”
In January, Trudeau announced his resignation as prime minister, effective once another leader was elected. Mark Carney was selected as his replacement in March, and Trudeau officially resigned after serving since 2015.
Next: Prince William Reportedly Plans “Radical” Change for Monarchy