Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly take swipe at Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield four years after 'queue-gate' scandal
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were heavily criticised and accused of "skipping" the hours-long queue to see the late Queen Elizabeth lying-in-state inside Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament, in September 2022.
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly took a swipe at ex-This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield as they remembered the "queue-gate" scandal.
Holly, 45, and Phil, 64, were heavily criticised and accused of "skipping" the hours-long queue to see the late Queen Elizabeth lying-in-state inside Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament, in September 2022.
After images came out of the pair paying their respects to the monarch on September 16, they appeared on This Morning, arguing their visit was "strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event", and insisting they "would never jump a queue".
Four years after the scandal, presenting duo Ant and Dec, both 50, appeared to take aim at Holly and Phil about it on the latest episode of their Hanging Out with Ant+Dec podcast.
They spoke about going to the British Museum in London, just like thousands of other people, to see the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Dec said: "It’s the first time in nearly 1,000 years it’s been in the UK. You’ve got to go and see it."
After agreeing they should visit together, Ant quipped: "If anyone from the British Museum is watching this podcast in their downtime… I’d like to jump the queue."
Appearing to take aim at Holly and Phillip, Dec laughed: "I’m not sure about TV presenters skipping queues.
"I don’t think that’s going to end well."
Ant added: "What could possibly go wrong? It’s just scuttle down the side, and pop in the front."
Being sarcastic, Dec said: "Do you think that’s the end? Nobody’s gonna say anything about it."
Ant asked: "Do you want to do it with me, or should I do it on my own?"
Dec replied: "Do it on your own."
In 2023, Phillip said he and Holly were "shell-shocked" by the criticism of "queue-gate".
He told The Sun: "I don’t ever throw anyone under the bus, but I have a very good instinct for these things, and I knew it was a bad thing to do.
"We were texting each other backwards and forwards afterwards. I said to Holly, ‘I knew I should have gone with my gut,’ and she said, ‘I know.’
"But we were shell-shocked, the both of us, completely shell-shocked by the reaction.
"What are the two things you don’t screw up? The Queen and a queue."
Phillip added: "So we are forever now [associated]… it doesn’t matter now because I’m not going to go out any more … but forever now, you go to the butchers, and someone says, ‘Oh, do you want to [skip ahead]…?’ ‘No, no, I’ll stand here.’ I’m serious."
At the time, This Morning shared a statement on its Instagram account, which read: "Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something. We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday’s programme.
"They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event."
Phillip left This Morning in May 2023, after admitting that he had an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague.
Holly continued presenting the show until she resigned in October that year after it emerged she had been the intended victim of a kidnap and murder plot.
