Brian Hoey, a BBC veteran and royal commentator who witnessed Queen Elizabeth II break down in tears at the site of the Aberfan disaster, has died at the age of 92.
Hoey, who also penned 36 books about the Royal Family, was one of the television commentators at King Charles' wedding to Princess Diana in 1981 and narrated Diana's funeral coverage in 1997. He conducted various TV interviews with royals, including King Charles when he was still Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Princess Diana and Princess Anne.
Career and Aberfan
Beginning his career as the first presenter on BBC Wales Today in 1962, Hoey witnessed the Queen break down in tears at the site of the Aberfan disaster in 1966. He described his success at the scene as "being in the right place at the right time".
The catastrophe saw a colliery spoil tip collapse on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, engulfing a school and a row of houses. Hoey described the horrific scenes in 2024: "I could see a steady stream of miners coming off the early morning shift. There was no talking. Without any instruction, they started picking through the wreckage."
144 people died in the disaster, 116 of whom were children.
Death and tributes
Hoey died in Cardiff on September 4, 2026, though news of his death was only just made public. An obituary notice read: "Brian Hoey. Husband of Diana. Father of Laurence, Rebecca and Jessica. Grandfather of Charles, Lucinda, Theodore, Rose and Phoebe. The funeral has been held privately at his request."
Tributes have flooded in online for Hoey, with journalist Kate Mansey writing: "RIP Brian Hoey, a much-respected royal commentator and journalist who was the first reporter on the scene when the Aberfan disaster happened."
"The gentleman was simply a class act," somebody else echoed. A third penned: "Farewell to distinguished royal biographer Brian Hoey." Someone else praised Hoey as "always affable", while another wrote on X: "Oh Brian Hoey. Very sad. His Mountbatten book was excellent; unlike that dreadful Andrew Lownie, it was not gossip-strewn. May God rest his soul."
