This Morning star Gyles Brandreth welcomed a former royal commentator onto his podcast, where things got emotional.
Royal commentator Alastair Bruce admitted he had to come off air after covering tragic royal news (Image: X/Twitter)
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A TV star was forced to “come off air” after bursting into tears when he spotted a sweet personal gesture as he covered Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. On Monday (April 21), Gyles Brandreth welcomed royal commentator Alastair Bruce onto his podcast, Rosebud. During his appearance on the show, he discussed the highs and lows of following the royal family throughout his career.
The 78-year-old boldly asked him: “How did you guard against becoming too emotionally engaged yourself?” which prompted the star to open up about his emotional link to the late monarch. He confessed: “I think that I sometimes do get emotionally engaged, but I think I see it as business.
Royal commentator Alistair Bruce shares a deeply moving moment following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, when he became overwhelmed with emotion live on air.
Discover the touching gesture from the late Queen that stayed with him, and more, in the latest episode of Rosebud. pic.twitter.com/oC8aahmjQk
— therosebudpodcast (@therosebudpod) April 22, 2026
It was at this point that he recalled one touching moment that moved him to tears when covering the late Queen’s funeral in 2022. Bruce explained: “I remember during Elizabeth II’s funeral, from the moment she died, I went live on air within minutes from a cruise ship where I was.
“And I held it together until she was being conveyed into St George’s chapel, and the camera angle took the coffin of Elizabeth II straight past Stephen, my husband, and I had to come off air. I was really moved by that.
“He was in the front row, and I subsequently learned that a place had been kept for him on her instruction. And I was [heartbroken], you know, that’s a big deal, when you think you go through life worrying about how people see you, you get married, and she knew him.
“And I just saw that as a kind of gesture, as you could face, and I didn’t know that until I saw it. And then I had to pull off air, but you know how these things work, you pull yourself together.”
The TV presenter added: “The producer was very worried about it, but I said, ‘No, I’ll be fine’, I put the headphones back on as she was taken up the steps and into the choir, and I was back on, so it was fine. I was overwhelmed.”
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The heartbreaking moment even had Brandreth struggling to hold back tears as he commented on the touching gesture. He gushed: “What a lovely thing to have done, for the late Queen to have thought of that, of your husband.”
It didn’t take long for fans to flock to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their thoughts on the heartbreaking revelation. One user penned: “This was a brilliant look back to the life of Queen Elizabeth II,” as another agreed:”We don’t marry gay people; we marry people. True.” A third chimed in with: “Excellent material. Beautiful. Bravo.”
