Piers Morgan reflects on the ‘sad moment’ he learnt of Queen Elizabeth’s passing

As the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing approaches, former Good Morning Britain host and renowned television personality Piers Morgan has opened up about the profound impact the news had on him and the nation.

It was a sombre day on September 8, 2022, when the world learnt the heartbreaking news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing at the age of 96. The Queen, who had been the reigning monarch for an astounding 70 years, was a symbol of strength, tradition, and unwavering dedication to her people. Her death marked the end of an era that many had grown up with, including Morgan.

In a candid opinion piece for The Sun, Morgan shared his thoughts on the iconic monarch’s legacy while reflecting on the moment he received the news of her passing.

“For my entire career, I’d waited for this sad moment to come,” he said.

“As a newspaper editor for ten years, I updated countless obituary tributes to Her Majesty, so we wouldn’t be caught unprepared if she suddenly died.

“But it was one thing to prepare for this huge news, quite another to face the reality.”

*NEW COLUMN!*
I miss the Queen. https://t.co/ZD3e3MOxo1

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 6, 2023

Morgan spoke further of the “extraordinary and emotional” conversation with a “trusted contact” who broke the devastating news.

“At 4.50pm, I took a call from a very trusted contact, someone very close to the Royals,” he said.

‘Piers, I’m very sorry to have to tell you that Her Majesty has passed away a short time ago. There will be a formal announcement very soon.’

“We didn’t speak for long, but it was still an extraordinary, and emotional, conversation for both of us – two staunch Monarchists coming to terms with the loss our greatest Monarch and the only one we’d known during our entire lives.

“To my surprise, when I hung up, I felt tears well up in my eyes.”

While the passing of the Queen was experienced uniquely by everyone, Morgan equated it to losing a close friend or beloved member of the family.

“I only met the Queen a few times, and she wasn’t a member of my own family or a good friend,” he explained.

“But she felt like one, to me and to many millions of other people in Britain, and the knowledge that the country’s extraordinary rock had gone was a gigantic blow to our national psyche.

“At 6.30pm, I formally broke the news to TalkTV viewers, and it was hard not to shed a tear again.

“But I was acutely conscious that the Queen barely ever showed emotion in public, preferring the stiff upper lip quality that I wish hadn’t been so absurdly denigrated in recent times. The whole studio was completely quiet, in genuine sadness and reverence.

“I’d only ever experienced this kind of eerie atmosphere once before, in the Daily Mirror newsroom in 1997 when Princess Diana’s death was confirmed in the early hours of a Sunday morning.”

Later in the piece, Morgan took a moment to contemplate the Queen’s status as an “astoundingly good human being” all while paying tribute to her remarkable legacy built over many years of dedicated service to the Commonwealth.

“There was just something unique and special about the Queen that made her one of the most beloved and respected public figures in modern history,” he said.

“Through her 70-year reign of selfless service and duty, she inspired so many of us to be better people through her own deeds, rhetoric, and conduct.

“How many leaders could survive that long and barely put a foot wrong?

“She was just an astoundingly good human being, and a magnificently skilled and competent leader.”

With the one-year anniversary of the Queen’s passing drawing near, Morgan will no doubt join countless others across the globe in reflecting on the Queen’s reign and the impact she had on generations.