‘Awful what they are going through’: Son of the Queen’s close friend Lord Porchester defends Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield amid Queuegate
- Harry Herbert, the son of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and brother of the current Earl, has said the backlash the presenters are facing is ‘awful’
- Holly and Phil have been the subject of online abuse over allegations they ‘skipped the queue’ to see the Queen lying in state
- ITV has defended the pair, saying they were escorted to work from the press gallery by government staff
A family friend of the Queen has come to the defence of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield over allegations they ‘skipped the queue’ to see the Queen lying in state.
Harry Herbert, the son of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and brother of the current Earl, has said the backlash the presenters are facing is ‘awful’.
The This Morning stars have been the subject of online abuse in the wake of the claims and an online petition to have the duo fired from their lucrative presenting roles has hit more than 66,000 signatures in six days.
Support: A family friend of the Queen has come to the defence of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield over allegations they ‘skipped the queue’ to see the Queen lying in state
Harry, who appeared on This Morning earlier this week, has passionately declared: ‘They never jumped any queue.’
Before adding of the ITV presenters: ‘Awful what they are going through.’
Harry’s father Henry Herbert was a personal friend of Queen Elizabeth for over 20 years and the monarch used to regularly visit their family home.
Queuegate: The This Morning stars have been the subject of online abuse in the wake of the claims and an online petition was started to have the duo fired from their presenting roles
Response: Harry Herbert, the son of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and brother of the current Earl, has said the backlash the presenters are facing is ‘awful’
Speaking about his time growing up around the Queen on This Morning, he said: ‘My dad was her best friend for many years and confidant and so myself my sister Carol and my brother Geordie, we grew up knowing the Queen from a young age.
‘We were surrounded by her, every part of her, her character, and she came to stay often at Milford which was my family home.’
Holly and Phil have not commented on the matter since issuing a statement on Tuesday’s show in which they insisted they ‘did not skip the queue’.
Pals: Harry’s father Henry Herbert was a friend of Queen Elizabeth for over 20 years, adding of the presenters he said: ‘Awful what they are going through’ (Harry and the Queen in 2015)
A statement was issued by ITV on Saturday and later broadcast on Tuesday’s This Morning, which was voiced over by Holly but both stopped short of using the word ‘sorry’ – a move which has left many viewers furious.
A source told MailOnline: ‘Every word of the statement was poured over. In the end, it’s spectacularly backfired.
‘Initially Holly and Phillip were prepared to say sorry if they’d upset anyone as they both just desperately want to draw a line under the affair. But they were advised strongly not to go down that road of saying sorry.’
Not enough: A statement issued by ITV and later broadcast on Tuesday’s This Morning (pictured on the show) was voiced over by Holly but stopped short of using the word ‘sorry’
Birdseye view: This graphic of Westminster Abbey shows the areas permitted for the public and media, and the spot where the presenters were seen
Such has been the backlash to the pair that TV insiders are raising ‘serious concerns’ about the presenters’ wellbeing after they appeared tearful and muted on This Morning this week.
In the first episode of the show since the row unfolded, Holly and Phil, strongly denied viewers’ claims they were ‘too posh to queue’ and said they had been in Westminster Hall on Friday ‘strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event.’
The voiceover also hammered home the point, ‘Please know that we would never jump a queue.’
Facing the music: During Tuesday’s episode the hosts told viewers they would ‘never jump a queue’ as they addressed the claims following the accusations they were faced with
A TV source said on Wednesday night: ‘The abuse has been nothing short of disgusting, not least as they have done nothing wrong and were fully entitled to media accreditation so they could inform their viewers.’
‘There is huge, real and serious concerns over their wellbeing and ITV are fully supporting them behind the scenes in the face of such relentless trolling. The channel backs them 110 per cent.’
Footage inside Westminster Abbey appeared to show Holly and Phil, 60, walking along an area separate from the media box – but ITV has since insisted the stars did not join mourners in filing past the coffin.
A clearer view: A photo of Westminster Abbey – highlighting where the media box is, where the public queue is and where Holly and Phil appeared to be walking
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