The Stories

Margaret Trudeau burst onto the scene in 1971 when she married Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. She was as radiant as Trudeau was charismatic. Even after their marriage ended, the media remained fascinated by her, and all her triumphs and private tragedies were fodder for public consumption. Margaret begins the journey into her past with the goal of solving a mystery on her mother’s side involving a story about an Indian princess and a far-flung outpost of the British Empire.

Margaret Sinclair Trudeau was born in Vancouver, BC in 1948 to James Sinclair and Kathleen Bernard Sinclair. Growing up, the family history was all about the Sinclair men, thus Margaret is most interested in learning about her mother's side, the Bernards. Specifically, she wants to get to the bottom of a family legend. According to the story, the Bernards are descended from an "Indian or Hindu princess". Margaret's investigation starts with a visit from her sister Heather who has brought a treasure trove of photos and documents about the Bernards.

The story of how the Bernards ended up in BC is well known to the family. Margaret's grandfather Thomas Kirkpatrick Bernard was born in Indonesia in 1891. As a young man, his family moved to Pentiction, BC to be with his ailing grandmother. Thomas' uncle secured jobs for Thomas and his father on the Canadian Pacific Railway. In Penticton, Thomas met and married Rose Ivens.

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