Justin Trudeau has remembered Queen Elizabeth as one of his "favourite people in the world".
The Canadian Prime Minister feels "extremely fortunate" to have known the late monarch - who died on 8 September aged 96 - "throughout [his] life" and paid tribute to her "great" sense of humour.
The politician, whose father Pierre was also a Canadian prime minister, said during a special session of his country's House of Commons: “The first time I met her was in 1977 when I was just a little boy.
“When I would meet with her as Prime Minister almost four decades later in 2015, I joked that the last time that we had met she had been taller than me – she responded with a quip about my making her feel old.
“Her sense of humour was one of her many great qualities and one of the many reasons why she was one of my favourite people in the world.”
The 50-year-old politician said that for most Canadians, Queen Elizabeth was "the only sovereign that most of us have ever known" and "her sudden absence has struck us all palpably and profoundly".
He said the late monarch had "embraced her role" as the country's head of state and always felt at home there.
He added: "Her conversations with me were always candid, we talked about anything and everything, she gave her best advice on a range of issues, she was always curious, engaged and thoughtful."
Justin also paid tribute to King Charles, who visited Canada in May this year.
He said: "Our new king, King Charles III, demonstrated his commitment to the larger sweep of history with his most recent tour that included a focus on the generational work necessary to achieve reconciliation and fight climate change."
Meanwhile, the prime minister also shared details of the delegation he will lead from Canada to the queen's funeral on Monday (19.09.22).
He will be accompanied by his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, governor general Mary Simon and other former prime ministers and governors general.
Members of the Order of Canada - including musician Gregory Charles, 'Killing Eve' star Sandra Oh, and swimmer Mark Tewksbury - will also attend on behalf of the country.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and representatives of various regiments of the Canadian Armed Forces will join service personnel from other Commonwealth countries at the service.
It was previously announced the day of the funeral will be a national day of mourning in Canada.
