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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Molly Dowrick

Australian journalists don't recognise Liz Truss while covering Queen's funeral

A video clip of Prime Minister Liz Truss stepping out of a black car and arriving for Her Majesty's funeral with her husband Hugh O'Leary has caused quite a stir - but not for any reason you might expect. Whilst the majority of British viewers would have found it easy to identify Mrs Truss, and by extension many would have guessed it was her husband accompanying her, the same understanding cannot be said for viewers Down Under or international journalists. Scroll down to watch the clip.

Hosts of Australia's Channel 9 coverage of the state funeral, journalists Peter Overton and Tracy Grimshaw failed to recognise Mrs Truss when she arrived for the funeral on Monday morning. Instead, they took a wild guess to say she and her husband were "minor Royals" or "local dignitaries".

A short clip of the amusing, incorrect commentary has drawn some 200,000 views on Twitter in just a few hours. Sharing the clip, Twitter user Shahryar Sultan said: "Australian presenters Peter Overton and Tracy Grimshaw unable to identify UK PM Liz Truss."

Read more: Viewers praise 'absolute master' Huw Edwards as he returns for coverage of the Queen's funeral

In the clip, which was broadcast on Australia's Channel 9 with live commentary, you can clearly hear co-presenter Tracy Grimshaw ask: "Whose this?"

"Hard to identify, maybe minor Royals...I can't identify them at this point, no," responds Peter.

"We can't spot everyone unfortunately, they look like they will be local dignitaries. It's hard to see, we're looking at the backs of their heads," adds Tracy.

It's only after Truss and her husband slowly walk into the building with the camera lingering on their faces that the pair receive the correct information from colleagues in their studio. She said: "I'm just told that's Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister, in the distance that we could see hopping out of that car."

Hundreds of Twitter users say the error has made them laugh, whilst others say the mistake is easily made as the UK has had many Prime Ministers in recent years.

Sharing the footage, one Twitter user said: "Pretty surprised by this to be honest - they're both brilliant journalists."

"I envy their ignorance," commented another. "Hasn't made much of an impression as Foreign Secretary and now Prime Minister clearly," added another.

"Thankyou Australia for a good chuckle," added another.

Who attended the funeral?

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, King Charles III, Peter Phillips, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex following the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey (Marc Aspland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Some 2,000 Royals, world leaders, UK politicians and specially chosen members of the public attended Her Majesty's funeral this morning.

Among the Royal Family, The King and the Queen Consort, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke of York, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Mr Peter Phillips, The Duke of Gloucester, The Earl of Snowdon, The Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Mr Jack Brooksbank, Sarah, Duchess of York, The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn, Mr and Mrs Michael Tindall all attended.

Prime Minister Liz Truss also attended the funeral with her husband, Hugh O'Leary, and former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown also attended with their spouses. First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and US President Joe Biden were also spotted in attendance.

Several Holders of the Victoria Cross, the George Cross and the Orders of Chivalry and representatives of faith communities also attended. You can read the list of guests here

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