Two Australian TV journalists are being pilloried after an awkward blunder during the Nine Network’s coverage of the royal funeral.
Nine stars Tracy Grimshaw and Peter Overton were in London, providing commentary of the arrivals at Westminster Abbey on Monday, when they were stumped by one VIP whose vehicle pulled up to the kerb.
“This is a significant motorcade, we are being told now. Come with us as we try and identify who is getting out of the car. This is under police escort of course. I would suggest this might be royalty, Tracy,” Overton said.
Out of the car hopped the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss. She was accompanied by her husband, Hugh O’Leary.
The Australian pair remained stumped.
“Hard to identify. Maybe minor royals, members of the … I can’t identify them at this point,” Overton continued.
Grimshaw said “we can’t spot everyone unfortunately”.
“They look like they could well be local dignitaries, it’s hard to see,” she said.
“We’re looking at the backs of their heads mostly.”
Moments later, after an off-camera heads-up, Overton had the real information.
“I’m told that was Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister, in the distance, we could see hopping out of the car. Thank you very much for that information,” he said.
The blunder sparked outrage from Nine viewers – and further afield.
“Channel Nine didn’t even know who Liz Truss was. F—ing hell,” one viewer tweeted.
“Liz Truss just misidentified as a ‘minor royal’ by whoever is commentating on Channel Nine,”wrote another.
“Peter Overton and Tracy Grimshaw having no idea who Liz Truss – the new British prime minister – is during the live coverage of the Queen’s funeral was so ‘awks’,” a third said.
“Yelling at the Australian Funeral commentators calling Liz Truss and her husband ‘minor royals’,” said another.
A Nine Network spokesman said on Tuesday that Grimshaw and Overton had trouble identifying guests from their position during the funeral proceedings.
“From their elevated position during the broadcast, Peter Overton and Tracy Grimshaw were unable to positively identify guests until they were seen on the broadcast monitor,” the spokesman told news.com.au.
“We feel enormously proud of the efforts of the entire Channel Nine broadcast team in covering this momentous occasion.”
Ms Truss was famously photographed with the Queen when she was appointed as British PM, just two days before the monarch died. She was the 15 prime minister to be sworn in by the Queen during her historic 70-year reign.
The confusion wasn’t all one way, however, with the BBC apparently failing to identify Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as he walked into the Abbey.
Rather than guess, though, the BBC presenters let the silence speak for itself.
“It’s clear the commentators have no idea who he is,” author Jane Caro tweeted as Albanese and his partner, Jodie Haydon, arrived for the service.
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