THE BBC has been slated for inaccurately describing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the country's head of state.
During an interview following the Queen's state funeral at about 2.30pm on Monday, presenter Kirsty Young was speaking about how Trudeau - who attended the service at Westminster Abbey - and former US president Barack Obama had found the late monarch to be wise.
But while talking about them collectively, she described the Queen as "a fellow head of state".
As Canada is part of the Commonwealth, the Queen was the head of state, with King Charles now having taken over from her following her death.
In Canada, royal assent is required for bills to become law and for letters patent and orders in council to have legal effect.
Young said on the BBC's all-day coverage of proceedings: "Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau talking about the wisdom that came with her that, when they were able to have conversations, it wasn’t just that they were meeting a sovereign, it wasn’t just that they were meeting a fellow head of state, they were meeting someone who had a kind of institutional memory that went back 70 years."
Trudeau has been Prime Minister of Canada since 2015.
Justin Trudeau just promoted to head of state by the BBCs latest ill informed utterance
— Christopher McEleny (@ChrisMcEleny) September 19, 2022
Chris McEleny, general secretary of the Alba Party, said it showed the broadcaster was "ill informed".
He said on Twitter: "Justin Trudeau just promoted to head of state by the BBCs latest ill informed utterance."
The BBC has been approached for comment.
It comes after the BBC was forced to apologise following an offensive broadcast in which presenters laughed at a comment about Catholics being driven out of Scotland.
In a moment that was labelled “inflammatory and wrong” by one expert, presenters laughed after a correspondent incorrectly referred to the Protestant reformer John Knox as having “cleared the Catholics out of Scotland”.
Former first minister Alex Salmond also hit out at the BBC's coverage of the Queen's death last week suggesting that the broadcaster had "badly let people down".
Salmond accused the broadcaster of "historical ignorance" and "bias" in the days following the Queen's passing at Balmoral.
