Susanna Reid alerted viewers to a time of 'transition' on the show as she returned to Good Morning Britain. The presenter was back at the helm of the ITV news programme on Tuesday (September 20) alongside Ben Shephard.
The duo were back in their usual surroundings of the ITV studio after their historic broadcast on Monday. Yesterday, as the nation and the world said a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II, Susanna and Ben hosted live from outside Westminster Abbey.
The GMB hosts appeared outside the iconic, gothic abbey ahead of the Queen's state funeral, which later saw the royal family joined by dignitaries from across the world as they paid their final respects to the late monarch in a poignant service before she was later laid to rest at St George's Chapel in Windsor.
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Opening ITV's rolling coverage of the historic event, Ben and Susanna appeared outside the Abbey, with the light of the day barely breaking through. "Good Morning Britain from Westminster Abbey," Susanna, wearing a black coat over a black dress, began. "On the 19th of September 2022, a momentous day. The day our Queen, Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest.
"A day marked by mourning but also a day of remembrance for a much-loved monarch who remained steadfast in her duty to the nation." Ben, also dressed in a smart black coat over his suit, later said: "On her 21st birthday she made a commitment to the nation declaring, 'my whole life, long or short, shall be devoted to your service,' a service she went on to embody for over 70 years."
He later added: "As we turn the chapter on the Elizabethan age, we remember the Queen's ability to connect people and to speak to the nation in good times and in bad." Susanna then concluded: "For the legions of people around the world who have followed, admired and loved her, today will be spent remembering her contribution and devotion to this country and the commonwealth as we say a final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II."
They went on to chat to guests about what to expect from the state funeral, the first in 52 years after the death of Winston Churchill, as well as speaking to some of the members of the public invited before blanket coverage of the historic event aired.
Ben and Susanna then returned to the programme on Tuesday and spoke about the 'overwhelmingly emotional' occasion. Susanna explained how they arrived at around 3.30am to get ready for their broadcast, which began at 6am, due to the area having to be shut down for security reasons before Her Majesty's funeral.
"For both of us, out of all of the moments yesterday of the funeral, there was one particular moment and that was when, because we were overlooking Westminster Abbey so we couldn't look up towards Parliament Square but we could hear the mast pipes and drums.
"As they proceed the procession which saw the coffin on the gun carriage, the sound of it was so emotional." Ben commented: "It was so stirring," as he gave more colour to what he saw as clips played, he added: "It was one of the most extraordinary moments I've ever experienced. It was so emotional, overwhelmingly emotional."
"It was like being an eye-witness to history," Susanna replied before saying it was a "real privilege" and an "honour" to be there with viewers of the programme.
Later, when joined by guests to discuss the other news making the headlines, Susanna pointed out the subtle change that has now been made. "It feels like a transitional moment now because the period of national mourning has come to an end so we have transitioned into more sombre outfits."
"A bit of colour," Ben added as they drew attention to their dark blue clothing. "We're back with these two," he then joked referring to Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maquire as Susanna interjected: "And back to business," before discussing Liz Truss' trip to New York as the UK's new Prime Minster.
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