Wreath-bearer to the Queen: The story of Warrant Officer Olivia Vernelli

Murray Brewster · CBC News

· Posted: May 27, 2025 3:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Two nights earlier the astir important salute of her cadet career, Warrant Officer Olivia Vernelli walked the crushed astatine the National War Memorial successful Ottawa, rehearsing each measurement and each crook with precision and dedication.

The 16-year-old subordinate of the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (3RCR) - 2642 Army Cadet Corps served arsenic escort connected Tuesday for Queen Camilla and arsenic the wreath-bearer for the ceremonial astatine the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside King Charles. 

In galore respects, she is her father's daughter.

Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli was precise and meticulous, a soldier's soldier.

There's a seriousness and maturity astir Olivia that's mode beyond her years and it shows successful the aggregate cadet awards she has won.

She was a small much than six months aged erstwhile her begetter died alongside different soldier, Cpl. Tyler Crooks, successful an insidious improvised explosive instrumentality onslaught during a combat ngo successful occidental Kandahar state successful March 2009.
She ne'er truly knew him.

Her mother, Marcie Lane, a Silver Cross widow and Olivia's biggest cheerleader, has worked hard on with household and friends to support her husband's representation alive. 

WATCH | Wreath-bearer remembers her precocious father: 

Olivia, however, said the consciousness of transportation is strongest erstwhile she puts connected her cadet azygous and walks done the doors of the drill hall. 

"When I spell into the subject buildings for parade night, I spot a representation of him successful the hallway. And galore of my cadet instructors knew my begetter and they archer maine galore astonishing stories astir him," Olivia said successful an interrogation with CBC News, anterior to escorting the royals. 

"Since my begetter passed distant erstwhile I was precise young, I didn't get the accidental to perceive his stories and what helium did successful the military. Joining the cadet programme made maine truly link with my begetter arsenic I deterioration the aforesaid [3RCR] headdress badge arsenic him." 

Olivia said she is considering making a vocation successful the subject and perchance applying to the Royal Military College, extending a agelong enactment of household service. Both of her parents served, on with different relatives, dating backmost to the Korean War.  

She said she was "very excited" to escort the Queen and present the salute.

While she lone got to accidental hullo to the royals — existent to her quality — she was prepared to reply questions and her father's representation and bequest of work is apical of mind.

"One happening that I would similar radical to retrieve astir my dada is that helium was precise kind, and helium ever stuck up for others and helium did not enactment up with bullying," Olivia said, adding that helium died connected his 3rd circuit of Afghanistan. 

"I similar to retrieve that helium went due to the fact that helium knew that the children determination and that radical needed to beryllium saved, and that conscionable shows that he's a truly large person. Even though helium had a babe and a household backmost astatine home, helium inactive went backmost to combat for different people."

Echoes of that telephone to work were heard successful Tuesday's code from the throne. 

The King invoked memories of shared sacrifice with allies, including the U.K., successful 2 satellite wars successful his code to Parliament and remarked connected however helium saw representatives of each country of Canada.

"I spot the guardians of the cardinal rights and freedoms guaranteed successful the Canadian Charter and, arsenic King, I convey you for your work to your chap Canadians, crossed the magnitude and breadth of this immense and large nation," the King said.

For a young pistillate who has grown up without a father, Olivia has a deeper knowing and appreciation of work and sacrifice, much than astir people.

As the years spell on, she said, the situation for her is to enactment attached to the antheral she hardly knew.

"I enactment connected doing the things that helium enjoyed. So, playing sports. He loved playing sports, particularly hockey," Olivia said, noting that helium cheered for the Boston Bruins and increasing up she would often formal successful a Bruins jersey and ticker the hockey game.

"Overall, I conscionable privation radical to cognize that, I think, that if helium was inactive present today, helium would beryllium an astonishing father."