Procession leading up to the Queen's state funeral begins. Video / NZ Herald
This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield did not jump the queue to view the Queen's coffin, ITV has claimed, despite being pictured wearing VIP passes.
The morning TV presenters faced backlash after they were filmed inside Westminster Hall on a livestream wearing lanyards around their necks, reports the Daily Telegraph UK.
Unlike David Beckham or fellow presenter Susanna Reid, who lined up with other members of the public for hours, Schofield and Willoughby were shown straight into Westminster Hall, bypassing the queue.
The TV hosts were spotted on a live stream of the queue to see the Queen's casket. Photo / Supplied
Fans of This Morning responded in anger, with one Twitter user writing that the pair "didn't have the common decency to queue along with many elderly or British citizens or even David Beckham".
ITV responded with a statement saying, "We would like to clarify something. We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday's programme.
"They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state - but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world's media to report on the event."
They were seen on the Westminster Hall livestream, dressed in black, with Willoughby wearing a black face mask. They were given accreditation passes as press members, allowing them to enter through a separate entrance to the one used by the public.
But it's understood they didn't join other journalists inside, heading to a raised area reserved for VIPs instead.
The day they visited, the line stretched for 8km and was temporarily closed after reaching capacity.
Schofield got his start in New Zealand after his family moved to the country when he was 19. He hosted Shazam! for three years in the 1980s and also worked as a Radio Hauraki DJ.
Meanwhile, Reid was applauded for waiting her turn.
She lined up for over seven hours on Thursday, writing on social media afterwards, "Along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history - witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall."
David Beckham waited in line for hours to pay his respects to the Queen. Photo / Getty Images
She also offered a few tips for enduring the wait, including, "wear the comfiest shoes you own".
It comes after Beckham earlier turned down the chance to skip the queue at Queen Elizabeth's vigil.
The 47-year-old former footballer queued with fellow mourners for over 13 hours to pay his respects to the late monarch at Westminster Hall in London this week and it has been revealed that he declined an invitation from an MP, who is allowed to take up to four guests, to skip the queue.
A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: "David could have avoided all of the queuing but he wanted to be like everyone else. He said his grandad wouldn't have [jumped the queue] so neither would he. He had been wondering all week when the best time was to go and finally he went.
"David was brought up in an East End family who were real royalists – the kind who would stand to attention when the national anthem came on. He wanted to go to see the Queen like any other member of the public."
