Piers Morgan supporters troll guest GMB host Alastair Campbell for accidentally announcing 'Queen's death'

Alastair Campbell made a major on-air blunder on Wednesday, his third day as the guest host of ITV show Good Morning Britain, when he accidentally switched the names of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip while talking about the recent demise of the Duke of Edinburgh.

The strategist made the mistake while interviewing former England footballer Vinnie Jones about his new memoir, "Lost Without You," which he has dedicated to his late wife Tanya Jones, whom he lost in July 2019 following a six-year battle with cancer. Campbell was quoting a statement made by the Queen, who also recently lost her spouse, when he mistakenly said it was the monarch who has died, reports Mail Online.

"We've been talking a lot about Prince Philip after the death of the Queen. One of the phrases that kept being used was something she said after 9/11, the statement that we had to take to New York. 'Grief is the price we pay for love,' and that's what comes out of your book in every single page," Campbell said to Jones.

Campbell soon realised his mistake and corrected himself, telling the viewers: "I think I may have accidentally announced the death of the Queen. I meant Prince Philip, of course." His co-host Susanna Reid also came to his defense and assured him: "I think people understood exactly what you meant."

However, the gaffe soon became the talk of the town on social media platforms, with supporters of former GMB host Piers Morgan leading the charge against Campbell. One Twitter user wrote: "Alastair Campbell 'accidentally announces' the Queen's death on GMB, Piers replacement is not off to a good start to say the least. This was a big one," while another commented: "Good Morning Britain you sack Piers for calling Meghan a liar yet here is Campbell saying our queen is dead?"

"What the hell is he doing on there anyway? I don't watch GMB anymore, now Piers has gone it's boring," a third one wrote.

Morgan himself also joined the conversation, writing on his Twitter account: "I think this puts my disbelief of Princess Pinocchio's (a term he uses for Meghan Markle) porkies into proper perspective. Many congrats @campbellclaret."

However, many came to Campbell's defence as well, with one writing: "Give the man a break, he has battles to fight of his own, don't get at him for a slip of the tongue."

Campbell is currently being quoted as bookies' favourite to replace Piers Morgan full-time. The author, who previously served as the spokesman for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has had his ex-boss and a number of other left-wing friends on the show.