Canadian PM Touches down in Britain to Meet Queen

New Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touched down Wednesday for his first visit to Britain since his election, with meetings with his British counterpart and Queen Elizabeth II.

Trudeau flew in with his wife Sophie and children in a stopover visit on which he will meet Prime Minister David Cameron before he goes to Malta for a meeting of the Commonwealth heads of government later this week.

The Liberal prime minister, whose election earlier this month ended almost a decade of Conservative rule, is to meet with Queen Elizabeth, who is also queen of Canada, at Buckingham Palace.

Trudeau's new government removed the queen's portrait from its foreign affairs department lobby after the election, hanging two paintings by a Quebec artist in its place.

The ministry said the change, a move away from the monarchist symbolism of the previous Tory government, was intended to "showcase Canada".

Trudeau's father also served as prime minister and is remembered for being captured doing a pirouette behind the queen by a photographer against palace protocols.

Next on the agenda for Trudeau after Malta is the Paris COP21 climate summit aiming to forge a global agreement to curb climate change, which starts on Monday.