Stan Grant seen in ABC’s coverage of the coronation after he wrote a book criticizing his colleagues for wearing black when ‘the white queen’ died
- ABC Coronation coverage with Stan Grant
- Grant ran out on ABC’s Queen’s death response
- He felt “betrayed” by the “submissive” deference
Stan Grant has landed a spot on the ABC’s coverage of King Charles III’s coronation after saying he felt “betrayed” by the broadcaster’s “submissive” response to Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Grant will be a studio guest on the marathon broadcast, hosted by ABC hosts Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez, which begins Saturday at 5 p.m. and continues until 11:30 p.m.
The “deep-seated anger” Grant felt at his employer’s reaction to Queen Elizabeth’s death last August led him to write a book, The Queen is Dead, which came out Wednesday.
In an interview with Radio Nationaal on Monday morning, the 59-year-old Q+A presenter said he refused to “put on a black suit” and mourn “the White Queen,” as was the long-cherished custom of the news organisation.
“How dare the Queen die just like that and make this country mourn?” Grant, a man from Wiradjuri, Gurrawin and Dharawal, told Patricia Karvelas.
Q+A host Stan Grant will appear on ABC’s Coronation coverage on Saturday night
“I felt in my own organization… a sense of betrayal because the ABC, everyone wore black suits, everyone took a deferential tone.
“We know the prime minister said, ‘This is not the time to talk about empire and colonization, this is not the time to talk about the republic.’ Well, it’s always the time.
“We saw Aboriginal people attacked for expressing a different opinion and an angry opinion and they are entitled to our anger. I thought it was time to break everything open and we didn’t.’
Grant says in the new book that at times like the Queen’s death, “my role is impossible.”
As journalists, we maintain our objectivity. But that’s a lie. Who is objective? What a bloodless idea,’ he said.
In his book, published by Harper Collins, Grant writes about his experiences in the days following the death of King Charles’ mother.
“The White Queen is dead,” he wrote.
Grant said he refused to wear black after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, as other ABC presenters did (pictured left Sarah Ferguson and right David Speers on ABC TV)
“The ABC is nervous. It circles around these topics all week. The Republic. Colonization. Rich. Genocide. Racism.’
Grant admitted at one point that it was suggested that his own program Q+A not discuss the Queen’s death at all – opting instead for a panel discussion on aged care.
‘That would be ridiculous. No. We’ll do it, I say, and I’ll put black voices front and center,” he said.
However, that panel discussion left him feeling “severely tested… wounded and empty.”
Grant told Radio National that he had met Queen Elizabeth a few times and that she was “someone who symbolizes that power in the crown, the symbol of the crown, which my people still suffer from …
“Her death was a cathartic moment, I thought, and I wanted to explore that, really crack open that idea and reexamine it,” he said.
King Charles III will be the center of the world’s attention on Saturday night as he is crowned British monarch
Saturday’s ABC lineup includes a number of outspoken Republicans, including Australian Republican Movement co-chair Craig Foster, along with author Kathy Lette and writer and Wiradjuri and Wailwan wife Teela Reid.
Monarchist Liberal MP Julian Leeser will fly the Royalist flag.
The main action from London begins with the King’s Procession, which will take over the ABC from a BBC feed.
The coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey starts at 8 p.m. and lasts two hours.
After that, the ABC will continue to monitor the celebrations from London with the appearance of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, which is expected to be around 10.30pm.