For those who found out about the Queen's death while watching the BBC, it was veteran news anchor Huw Edwards who delivered the sad announcement just after 6.30pm BST on Thursday 8 September 2022.
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"A few moments ago, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,'" he broke the news to viewers after donning a black suit and tie earlier in the day when it was announced that the monarch was initially under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle.
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While the Welsh presenter has been widely praised online for how he handled the announcement, it has now been revealed that he had in fact been preparing for the sad day "for some time".
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Taking to Twitter on Friday, Alastair Campbel told his followers that Huw had even rehearsed the announcement "in front of his bathroom mirror" to make sure he got it right. He wrote: "@thehuwedwards told me a few months ago he had been preparing, practising and even rehearsing in front of his bathroom mirror for this moment for some time. He said too that the Queen's death would be the biggest challenge to @BBCNews in its history. He did superbly"
© Photo: BBCThe BBC News anchor broke the news to millions of viewers at home
The former spokesperson for Tony Blair and the host of The Rest is Politics podcast added in a second tweet: "I am out of the country and have not seen much of the BBC coverage but @schooltruth tells me he has been 'absolutely brilliant'. Which should surprise nobody."
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Huw is a familiar face among television viewers, having worked for the BBC since 1984 and fronted the Six O'Clock News since 1999.
He has yet to respond to Alastair's claim and the praise that has been heaped up him following his lengthy stint in front of the camera on Thursday, which began shortly after noon and carried on into the late hours.
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