Huw Edwards has admitted to making an “elementary error” when he reported on his first Trooping the Colour in 2003.
The BBC news anchor, who will front the broadcaster’s coverage of King Charles III’s coronation in May, has opened up about his experience reporting on the royal family over the years.
In a new interview with Good Housekeeping, published on Thursday (30 March), Edwards recalled a moment when he covered the Trooping the Colour parade 20 years ago.
He told the magazine: “There’s a huge responsibility to get it right and I’m always terrified of making a mistake.
“When I was presenting my first Trooping the Colour in 2003, I mixed up Sandhurst and Sandringham and my military friends couldn’t believe I’d made such an elementary error, but I was nervous and I slipped.”
The grand military parade is performed each year to mark the official birthday of the British monarch.
More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians march from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guard’s Parade via The Mall during the parade.
Since Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, Trooping the Colour has taken place on the second Saturday in June to celebrate her official birthday. Her actual birthday was on 21 April.
But after her death last September, her son Charles has ascended the throne and is now King Charles III.
He will continue the tradition of a summer birthday parade, despite his actual birthday being 14 November.
This year, Trooping the Colour will take place to celebrate Charles’ official birthday for the first time and will fall on 17 June.
Last year, Edwards revealed that he only learned about the late Queen’s death 10 seconds before the rest of the UK.
He told Radio Times that after he was given the news, he was told by the gallery: “‘The announcement is here. Take your time. Speak when you are ready. Don’t rush’.”
The presenter went on to lead the BBC’s coverage of Her Majesty’s death, as he reflected on her life.
At the time, he said: “The longest reigning monarch in British history, who has left us at the age of 96.
“And it’s not a surprise when someone of that age suffers ill health and eventually passes away, but what is left of course is the reflection on what was achieved and the kind of life that was led, and the sense of duty and a sense of loyalty.
“The sense of humility, which seems rather bizarre to say for a monarch, as someone who had a sense of service to others.
“And this was a theme that was repeated so often in the Queen’s statements and at great milestones in her life.”
The May 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping is now on sale.
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