“As a journalist, you at all times do detach your self a bit [from the story] as a result of you must write tales,” he explains.
“[But] after I was ready at Buckingham Palace for the hearse to return together with her inside it for the final time, you begin mentally going via what you are going to say, ‘trigger you solely get one shot for the piece to digicam and I began pondering ‘I wish to point out that Buckingham Palace is dwelling’.
“So, ‘Queen Elizabeth for the final time is coming dwelling’ and I may really feel a catch in my voice and, nicely, yeah, it’s the final time she’s coming dwelling and I did really feel unhappy about that.”
“I am aware of seeing the Queen however seeing her right this moment like this, it has been every week since she died, and it is nonetheless one thing of a shock,” he tells 9News.com.au.
“I can see now why folks say it is shocking how a lot it hits you whenever you see her coffin there in entrance of you and assume, ‘wow, she actually is gone’.
“Intellectually you possibly can know that, however to see the coffin, that makes a giant distinction.”
The esteemed reporter has been in warfare zones and coated a number of the most crucial tales of our time, however expects this might be “the most important single occasion” of his profession.
“Strolling previous exterior Buckingham Palace, there’s this large media centre arrange from all the primary information organisations and a whole lot of smaller ones from world wide. I’ve by no means seen something of that magnitude,” McLeod tells 9News.com.au.
“And that is only one location. There’s many others round London too. So, that made me assume ‘no, that is large’ due to the period of it, the size of it, the sense of historical past.”
One other large event McLeod had coated not too long ago was the Queen’s Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne.
Nevertheless, the journalist says he received a way of finality throughout the four-day weekend in London.
“I bear in mind pondering on the time, ‘this feels just like the final time we’ll see her’, definitely earlier than crowds of that scale,” he says.
“That was an actual second,” he recollects.
“That was a type of pinch-yourself moments the place you assume ‘I am glad I am right here as a result of I do not know if I am going to see her once more’.
“And the identical once more on the final day, that was a bit extra of a shock when she walked out on the balcony once more. I believed ‘I do not see her ever doing that once more’.”
Because the 59-year-old reminisced about royal tales coated over his many years within the enterprise – which incorporates three stints in London as a correspondent – McLeod mentioned a few cases made him smile, together with the time he by chance “broke royal protocol”.
Throughout an annual Barnardo’s backyard celebration at Buckingham Palace again in 2003, the TV reporter turned to face the digicam because the Queen walked behind him to “get the shot” for his information package deal.
“Straight after {that a} steward comes over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and mentioned, ‘You aren’t to show your again on Her Majesty!’
“I believed ‘oh my god, I’ve damaged royal protocol’,” McLeod tells 9News.com.au.
He additionally fondly recalled the late monarch’s final journey to Melbourne, with the royals seeming extra relaxed in Australia.
“I received the impression she loved Australia as a result of in London, within the UK, she was a fixture and for those who travelled someplace, it would not essentially get as a lot consideration. If she went wherever in Australia, she received a whole lot of consideration.
“She had been there to Australia a whole lot of occasions and he or she was acquainted, however nonetheless received adoring crowds.”
One such event was when Her Majesty and Prince Philip received to take a particular journey via Melbourne, again in 2011.
“They placed on a tram for her from Flinders Road Station simply to drive, actually, one cease,” he recollects.
“In order that was candy as a result of there’s some beautiful footage of the Queen in a really shiny outfit, stepping off the tram earlier than she will get right into a automotive to go and meet the governor of Victoria.
“And the tram driver was very candy as a result of she was, in fact, fairly nervous about driving the royal couple. She mentioned that after they received on board, and he or she defined to them that she was going to take them on this journey that was from right here to there and was very blissful to have them on board, Philip mentioned, ‘Nicely, that is nice, we higher get a transfer on then’ and hurried her alongside,” he laughed.
After masking quite a few royal tales each large and small, enjoyable and critical, throughout his profession, McLeod says reporting on Queen Elizabeth’s dying and funeral is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Information shops world wide present outpouring of grief
“We cannot ever see a royal story this large once more. And I do not know if we’ll see a lot else that may compete when it comes to this big-occasion type of story once more.”
