BBC presenter Martine Croxall appeared to fight back tears as she broke the news of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh on air.

The journalist was anchoring the BBC News channel when Buckingham Palace confirmed the news.

Her voice trembled as she said: “You’re watching BBC News. We have just received a statement from Buckingham Palace confirming that the Duke of Edinburgh has died.

“The statement says: ‘It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle’.”

She read the statement from the palace twice as the channel played archive footage of the senior royal.

Croxhall, who had been wearing a dark V-neck top with a long necklace, continued to narrate the footage while out of view.

When she was next seen on screen, she was wearing a black jacket and had removed her jewellery.

Croxall also appeared emotional and sombre as she spoke to royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, who was on the phone.

Viewers praised her on Twitter, with one writing: “Thank you for the way you handled that, absolutely perfect, obviously emotional but professional and pitched perfectly.”

Another wrote: “I’m not the biggest supporter of the BBC however your presentation of breaking the news today was fantastic. Well done for getting through the moment.”