Ben Shephard made sure he took the time to heap praise on the Queen's coffin bearers as cameras rolled on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, describing their heroics as 'exquisite perfection.'
Members of the Queen's Country First Battalion Grenadier Guards had the massive responsibility of carrying the Queen's coffin out of Westminster Hall, where it had been lying in state and then into Westminster Abbey, where world leaders and British politicians were amongst a crowd of 2,000. The young guards were followed by senior members of the Royal Family as scenes of them carrying Her Majesty were beamed to a global audience of billions.
After the moving service at Westminster ended, the Guards were on hand again to carry the coffin out and onto the next step of its journey, up to the Wellington Arch. The men, who never put a foot wrong the whole day, then had the difficult job of transferring the Queen's coffin from the gun carriage to the royal hearse, in preparation for her onward journey to Windsor.
READ MORE : Huw Edwards calls out Westminster Hall 'queue jumpers' in BBC dig
Perhaps their trickiest task of the day was carrying the coffin up the steep steps of St George's Chapel, where another packed congregation awaited to pay their respects to the much loved monarch. The faces of the young coffin bearers have been seen my people across the world and as he and GMB co-host Susanna Reid reflected on the Queen's funeral, Ben took the time to single out the Guards for their sterling efforts.
Speaking in the ITV studio, he said: "I think I'm with the nation on this; shout out to Queen's Country First Battalion Grenadier Guards, those eight young men who shouldered the Queen's coffin all day in absolute exquisite perfection. Every single moment of what they were doing was being judged."
As a clip of the Guards carrying the coffin up the steps of St George's played on screen, Ben added: "This is the bit where my heart was in my mouth. There were so many steps going into St George's Chapel in Windsor and at no point did these young men make a mistake. It was just the most remarkable, exemplary performance from them."
Read next:
-
Eamonn Holmes aims dig at Phillip and Holly after queue jump denial
-
Kate Middleton wears Queen's pearl choker and earrings for funeral in fitting tribute
-
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie spark Queen's funeral confusion over 'early' exit
-
BBC's Huw Edwards takes swipe at Westminster Hall 'queue jumpers' after Phillip and Holly denial
-
Meghan Markle's Queen's funeral outfit sees Duchess of Sussex pay subtle tribute to Her Majesty
