Manchester Evening News readers have hit out at This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after they were recorded allegedly 'jumping the queue' to see the Queen lying in state. The hosting duo were seen filing past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin on Friday (September 16).
At the same time that the show would usually air on Friday, around 10am, Holly and Phil were spotted filing past the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall. This came as some people were waiting as long as 24-hours to pay their respects to the late monarch.
The pair immediately came under fire as it looked as if they had jumped the queue despite other high profile celebrities, such as David Beckham, waiting overnight for their turn in the hall along with everybody else. This Morning has insisted that Phillip and Holly did not "jump the queue" for the Queen’s lying in state and were there to report on the event as media, but many readers are not convinced.
One said: "Who do they think they are, people in wheel chairs, children and elderly people, disabled people were willing to queue for 12 + hours and they come in with their V.I.P. landyards (sic). and queue jump, really?"
Another described it as 'disgusting'. They said: "Isn’t it great to have a PR team to draft a pathetic excuse for them, any other time they wouldn’t leave the comfort of the studio. Absolutely disgusting behaviour, if they wanted to make a factual report they should have joined the queue and reported from there along with the general public which I’m sure are regular viewers of this morning."
Many pointed to the fact that other celebrities, such as Beckham and Good Morning Britain presenter, Susanna Reid, had queued along with members of the public. "They should have done their filming and joined the queue like everybody else. Lost respect for them now, other celebrities queued. They are not above everyone else," they said.
Another added: "If David Beckham can stand in the queue for 12 hours why cant they! Know they think they are royalty but they most definitely aren't!!!!!"
One pointed out that most media are not reporting inside the hall but interviewing people outside for stories. "Walking past our late Queen as she lies in State isn't reporting. Standing outside with a film crew is," they said.
A statement on This Morning's Instagram account said: “Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something. We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday’s programme. They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event."
