Tom Bradby is set to helm an ITV special for Prince Philip‘s funeral, despite his recent fall out with Prince William.
The Duke of Cambridge is said to have cut his two-decade-long association with the experienced news anchor after he sided with his brother Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over Megxit.
But the journalist, 54, is now set to co-star with newsreader Julie Etchingham to host a special ITV programme to mark Prince Philip’s funeral at Windsor Castle this weekend.
The three-hour broadcast is set to be titled Prince Philip – a Royal Funeral, and will be shown from 1.15pm on ITV on Saturday.
Tom Bradby (pictured) is set to helm an ITV special for Prince Philip’s funeral, despite his recent fall out with Prince William
The Duke of Cambridge is said to have cut his two-decade long association with the experienced news anchor after he sided with his brother Prince Harry (pictured with Bradby in South Africa) and sister-in-law Meghan over Megxit
Bradby’s ITV documentary in South Africa in 2019 also saw Meghan Markle tell him: ‘Not many people have asked if I’m okay’
The programme will feature reaction and tributes to the duke from around the country.
Journalist Mary Nightingale will also talk to members of the armed forces as they prepare to take part in the funeral procession.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will take place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday.
It comes following his death on Friday at the age of 99 – having spent more than 70 years of his life at the Queen’s side.
A maximum of 30 people can attend the funeral because of coronavirus restrictions.
Social distancing will be in place, Buckingham Palace has said, with the Queen set to be wearing a mask at the funeral.
The monarch, 94, who returned to work yesterday four days after her husband’s death, may also have to sit at least two-meters from other royal family members due to social distancing rules.
Bradby’s selection as co-anchor of the funeral programme comes after Prince William ended his two-decade long association with the experienced news anchor.
The Duke of Cambridge has been left annoyed that the high-profile presenter – host of ITV’s News at Ten – has sided with his brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan in the increasingly bitter transatlantic war of the Windsors.
While phone calls and communication between the Duke of Sussex in California and Bradby in London have become commonplace, William, in contrast, is said to no longer trust the high profile journalist who was once a close confidante.
A royal insider revealed: ‘The friendship between William and Tom is very much over. The Duke feels let down by Bradby and the way he’s acted over the past few months.
‘William is a sensitive soul and believes it’s in times of crisis when you find out who your true friends are. It would be fair to say Bradby hasn’t been one of them.’
Among senior royal aides, there is growing anger at the way Bradby and ITV News seem to have become a mouthpiece for Harry and Meghan’s gripes about the Royal Family.
Bradby was host of an ITV documentary filmed in South Africa in 2019 when Meghan, in a swipe at her new family, moaned: ‘Not many people have asked if I’m okay. It’s a very real thing to go through behind the scenes…it has really been a struggle.’
Harry also used Bradby’s documentary to publicly confirm a feud with his brother, admitting that he and William were ‘on different paths at the moment’.
More recently, Bradby is believed to have been central to ITV being granted the rights to broadcast Oprah Winfrey’s incendiary interview with the pair, where they lobbed a number of grenade-like allegations at the monarchy, including claims a senior royal had made racist comments about their future child’s skin colour.
The royal source said: ‘Some staff at the Palaces are even angrier about Bradby and the tone of his reporting at ITV News, which they consider to be pro-Harry and Meghan.
The Duke of Cambridge was once so close with Tom Bradby that he was chosen to conduct the November 2010 engagement exclusive interview with him and Kate Middleton
‘It’s well-known Bradby personally communicates with Harry on a regular basis and that is pretty obvious to royal aides who know how things work.
‘But it’s been very difficult to accept given the long history between Bradby and William.’
William was once so close with Bradby that he was chosen to conduct the November 2010 engagement exclusive interview with him and Kate. Bradby went on to attend the nuptials at Westminster Abbey as a guest.
A spokesman for William at the time said: ‘The couple asked to record this interview specifically with Mr Bradby, whom they have both known for some time.’
But Bradby was equally close with Harry, attending his Windsor wedding to Meghan, alongside other media figures including Oprah and James Corden.
The friendship with both brothers was solidified during Bradby’s time as ITV’s royal correspondent.
He travelled with Harry to Lesotho in Africa to make a 2004 documentary.
Bradby’s closeness to the brothers then exploded into the public domain as part of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, when details of a call between him and a royal staff member was published in the Sunday newspaper.
Like Harry, Bradby has been publicly open about his mental health issues, revealing he had to take lengthy time off from hosting News at Ten in 2018 after suffering the ‘mental health equivalent of a heart attack’.
The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this month that Bradby has ‘significant sway’ over how Meghan is portrayed more widely on ITV.
They reported he may have been involved in pointing the Duchess ‘in the right direction’ over how to complain about Piers Morgan’s criticism of her on Good Morning Britain, which resulted in him quitting the show.
A source told the newspaper: ‘Tom Bradby has a certain caché at ITV as their news man. He is also the man with the golden goose in the bosses’ eyes as he has a hotline to Prince Harry.’
But don’t expect to see Bradby securing another interview with William again.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex speak to Oprah Winfrey in their bombshell tell-all interview which first aired on March 7
Our royal source added: ‘The Duke will, of course, remain cordial and professional in his relations with senior media figures, but that special relationship he once had with Bradby is no more. William no longer sees him as a friend.’
Kensington Palace declined to comment to reports about Bradby’s fall out with Prince William, first published by MailOnline last week.
A spokeswoman for ITV News said: ‘Unfortunately at this moment we won’t be in a position to comment.’
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award launches new fund in Philip’s memory in bid to give one million more youngsters the chance to take part in scheme
By Jack Newman for MailOnline
A new fund to help a million more young people achieve a Duke of Edinburgh‘s Award has been launched in memory of its founder.
The Living Legacy Fund will aim to give youngsters in the UK from wide ranging backgrounds the chance to complete a DofE Award over the next five years.
The money will help to establish new centres, train thousands of more leaders and volunteers and provide targeted help to young people who need specialist support to complete their award, the DofE Award charity said.
A new fund to help a million more young people achieve a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been launched in memory of its founder
Celebrities involved with the scheme have welcomed the funding, and said the award can make a huge difference to young people’s lives.
Former EastEnders star Ross Kemp added: ‘The DofE has been life changing for so many and I have witnessed first-hand the impact taking part can have on young people.’
He urged people to donate to the fund to help ‘commemorate the duke and continue his incredible legacy by ensuring all young people are ready to follow their passions, discover new skills and build vital self-belief.’
Actor Hugh Jackman said he had an ‘excellent experience’ finishing his Gold DofE award in Australia, one of more than 100 countries affiliated with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
Actor Hugh Jackman said he had an ‘excellent experience’ finishing his Gold DofE award in Australia
He said: ‘It is remarkable that the drive of one man to set up the DofE should have had such an impact on the lives of millions of people, all over the world.’
The charity said the scheme can help young people perform better in education, improve their mental health, boost job prospects and make a positive difference in their community.
Some 6.7 million young people across the UK have taken part in the scheme and achieved more than 3.1 million awards since 1956.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left young people facing huge challenges to their education, mental health and employment prospects, which in turn has highlighted the value of Philip’s vision in setting up the scheme, the charity said.
Paralympic athletics champion Hannah Cockcroft said: ‘I will forever be grateful to The Duke of Edinburgh for giving me the experiences and opportunities that I have had through his charity and the support they continue to provide.
‘Through the award, I gained the confidence that I can do anything I want to, with a little bit of help.’
Former EastEnders star Ross Kemp welcomed the funding, and said the award can make a huge difference to young people’s lives
Actress Nina Wadia, who starred in BBC Two sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, added: ‘For generations across the globe, the DofE has brought together young people and taught them how to work together to improve themselves and the world around them.
‘It creates an environment in which communication starts off as a necessity but ends up being fun, something to look forward to and a life skill.’
DofE chief executive Ruth Marvel said it has been ‘an overwhelming and emotional experience’ to have heard from thousands of people, from teenagers to politicians, presenters to sports stars, sharing such powerful stories about the difference DofE has made to their lives.
She said: ‘We want to make sure every young person – whatever their background, ability or income – can develop the self-belief, skills and confidence to take on whatever life throws their way. And ensure that no young person faces barriers to starting or achieving their DofE Award.’