Last night we witnessed an extraordinary moment in history with the final farewell to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as she was remembered and honoured in a State Funeral at Westminster Abbey. Network 10 broadcast extensive live coverage of the State Funeral across 10, 10 Bold and 10 Play, all made possible by the incredible crew both on and off the camera who worked tirelessly to cover every aspect of the historical event.
That crew consisted of Sandra Sully, Jennifer Keyte, Ursula Heger, Jayde Cotic, Alice Hogg, Johnpaul Gonzo, Lisa Wilkinson, Lucy McDonald, Angela Bishop, Dom Haylen, Jessica Ienco, Peter Tumini, Owen Wynne, Imogen Cook, Minh Trung LY, Michael Lee and Blaed McKee.
The Water Cooler spoke with Chief of Staff, Jessica Ienco and 10 News First Presenter, Sandra Sully about what’s involved in covering a news story of this size and the challenges of doing it from another country.
Q&A with Jessica Ienco
This was your first international assignment – and a monumental one. How did you prepare for this?
I’m not sure you can ever prepare yourself for the overwhelming situations our crews walk into every day, and seeing this colossal event, surrounded by strict security protocols, hundreds of thousands of grieving people and news crews from international broadcasters has been an absolutely surreal experience.
Being on the ground in the U.K. for the Queen’s death will no doubt be the most significant undertaking of my journalistic career. It was important that I had an understanding of the Royal protocol that comes with the 10 days of mourning in order to be as helpful as possible to the team here with me.
Ultimately though, we had only a few hours between news of the Queen’s death and leaving Australia for London, so preparations have been a daily part of the trip.
You’re part of a team of 15 crew – both on and off the camera. What’s involved in the day-to-day operation covering such a huge event?
Planning, planning, planning. It’s a massive operation here in London, so from the minute we walk out the door at 4am, there are thousands of police officers and security guards at every turn.
Most of the city roads are completely shut down and there are tens of thousands of people walking the streets at all hours of the day and night.
I’m up at 4 o’clock to meet our team at the sub-hosting site, where I’m printing scripts and preparing our presenters, Sandra and Jen, for all of their on-air requirements. Once we’re off-air around 10am, I try to meet up with whichever reporters need some producing assistance and we gather through the day for the following day’s news. In the evening, we try to get a little more planning done for the following few days and then rest and repeat.
What are the biggest challenges and how do you overcome them?
I’d say the biggest challenge is ensuring that our team is in place at every significant event across the U.K over these 10 days.
We’ve got a crew following the new King around the country on his first national tour, while the Queen’s coffin moves from location to location as she lies in state.
Other royals, including Queen Elizabeth’s children and the King’s children, are also moving around the country, so our reporters and camera crews are constantly travelling with them.
We’re a small but mighty team!
Sandra Sully Q&A
You’ve covered some of the biggest news stories in the world throughout your career. Where does this one sit with you?
One simply can’t compare this to horrific and seismic events like September 11, however on a global scale we are unlikely to ever witness something quite like this again, so I feel so extremely privileged to be in London to witness it all. This historic royal changing of the guard – with all its pomp and pageantry, historic rituals and traditions – will be triumphantly showcased and broadcast to the world.
And what a moment in time to pause, reflect, remember and mourn the loss of one of the greatest leaders of our time.
For seven decades Her Majesty demonstrated such remarkable strength, resilience, unflinching stoicism and exceptional commitment to service. Her stewardship through some of our most difficult and challenging times has been a compass for so many. However, I should stress – this royal commemoration only triggers so much angst for Indigenous Australians, who are so deeply troubled and struggling with rage and sadness at the ongoing suffering and injustice First Nations people continue to endure. My thoughts are also with them at this time.
No doubt you’ve witnessed some incredible moments being on the ground, what has struck you the most?
The sheer scale of planning, logistics and police operations are just incredible. Snipers on buildings. Drone no-fly zones and a security plan even more complex than it was for the London 2012 Olympics.
With so many world leaders present to pay their respects, more than ten thousand police officers have been deployed for the Queen’s funeral in Britain’s biggest ever operation.
Unnerving as that can be at times, on the streets of London and everywhere you look, you can’t help but be struck by the deep and abiding admiration and utmost respect everyone seems to have for her. And yet while we all knew her health was declining, it still somehow seemed too soon.
What challenges do you think the Monarchy faces ahead of this next reign of the Commonwealth?
At its very core, family unity is obviously a serious challenge for the royal family, especially with Princes William and Harry still struggling to find some semblance of the brotherly love they once shared.
For the UK – questions are already being raised about the cost of supporting the Royal family, and during a global cost of living crisis this won’t disappear anytime soon.
From an Australian perspective – once the mourning period has passed, I have no doubt our own desire for a Republic will, once again, take centre stage. Many other Commonwealth nations will also wrestle with same national identity dilemma.
