Former Canadian swimming star Mark Tewksbury was among thousands paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at her funeral in London on Monday.
A funeral that was “personal” for him.
Tewksbury, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and a member of the Order of Canada, was among a list of dignitaries announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week who attended the funeral.
On the day, which he described as “mixed feelings,” Tewksbury said he felt more connected to the Queen as a person.
“I’m a person who really respects the Queen for her duty and service and giving back and representing various charities and organizations and I’ve tried to live my life the same way,” Tewksbury told The Canadian Press. “So I saw it more as a personal connection as opposed to a connection to the institution of the monarchy.”
The 54-year-old was part of a Canadian delegation that included actress Sandra Oh, performing artist Gregory Charles and Leslie Arthur Palmer, recipient of the Cross of Valor.
Contrary to Tewksbury’s expectations, the protocols at the funeral were not as strict.
“I thought it was going to be extraordinarily rigid,” he said. “There was a lot of protocol, but it wasn’t excessive. On Saturday we went to a rehearsal (for) us in the procession of honor. And it was kind of relaxed. You just had to have the right ID and the right colored trail to get into certain zones, but it was less than I expected.
“We were all very clear about what we had to wear. If I am a civilian I had to wear a mourning suit or a dark suit because I have a certain Order of Canada and some medals. There is only one specific protocol about what you wear which part of your suits. … Who’s arriving when and the order of things, and that was pretty much to be expected.
The group walked through the whole of Westminster Abbey before returning, with Tewksbury’s group seated near the front of the Abbey’s west entrance so that she could see all those arriving for the remainder of the funeral.
As people from different parts of the Commonwealth were present, there were different methods of honoring the Queen. Some treated it as a celebration of their lives, while others mourned solemnly. According to Tewksbury, the city of London was full of people.
Arriving at the Cathedral a few minutes after 10am (GMT), the service began at 11am with the group exiting the Cathedral just before 12:30pm
“Today was definitely like a change of tone in a nice way, very respectful. It’s kind of sad — quiet, still and peaceful,” Tewksbury said.
“It was really a very nice service. It didn’t last too long and did a wonderful job of honoring the Queen, both as a person and as a monarch.”
Aside from being “as great an honor as I could have hoped,” Tewksbury was proud to be able to represent Canada with the diversity within the delegation.
“We had a gay man, a black man and an Asian woman. We were really diverse. We were probably some of the youngest people in the honor profession. And it’s really, really wonderful to represent our country in this way.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 19, 2022.