Veteran TV presenter Barbara Miller was interviewing punters waiting in line to see the Queen’s coffin when she got more than she bargained for.

Seasoned ABC journalist Barbara Miller unknowingly struck gold while interviewing punters waiting in line to see the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall.

The Scottish-born Australian TV reporter, who is the network’s US correspondent but is currently in Britain covering the Queen’s death, was doing a live cross from the lengthy queue in London when she plucked a random man from the crowd for an interview.

He turned out to be Lieutenant-General David Leakey, 70, a former Black Rod of the UK parliament, one of the most senior positions in the House of Lords responsible for maintaining order and granting access to officials.

The illustrious position is also held by officials across various Commonwealth countries, including Australia, with representatives famously wearing black shoes with black buckles, silk stockings, black breeches, a black coat and an ebony rod, which is used to bang on the door ahead of the opening of parliament.

Ms Miller was caught off-guard by Mr Leakey’s former profession, which he worked in for seven years until 2018, asking him to “explain that [role] to Australia.”

“Black Rod?,” Mr Leakey questioned. “Well, you have a Black Rod in Australia, in the Australian parliament … You didn’t know that?”

Mr Leakey continued: “So, Black Rod is the Queen’s representative in Parliament, and one of Black Rod’s roles is to organise the whole of the event that’s going on in the lying in state in Westminster Hall. I did that for seven years, and if the Queen died whilst I was doing it, I’d be over there organising and presiding over the whole thing.

“But I retired from that three years ago, and Sarah Clarke took over from me, and now I’m just a Joe Public and stood in the queue and waiting to go and see the result of some of the plans I worked on for seven years.”

Black Rod’s role is significant in the State Opening of Parliament and dates back to the 14th century.

After the monarch has taken their seat on the Throne, Black Rod is dispatched to the Commons Chamber to summon MPs to hear His or Her Majesty’s Speech. The door of the Commons is slammed in Black Rod’s face, with Black Rod then banging three times on the door with their rod in a custom dating back to 1600s.

In Australia, the Usher of the Black Rod is a central figure at openings of parliament, tasked with announcing the arrival of the Governor-General and escorting the official party into the Senate chamber.

Viewers watching live were delighted by Ms Miller’s interview, with one pointing out that she “owned” her ignorance before delivering a riveting chat.

ABC's Barbara Miller has accidentally stumbled across a former Black Rod of the UK Parliament, who helped organise some of the protocols we are seeing play out and we are now watching live on air as she discovers at the same time as us that this vox pop is a little...different

Ummm that live cross with Barbara Miller was one for the ages. She is a master of the craft. @JoeDoesNews@abcbarbm Your colleagues are applauding from afar.

Poor Barbara Miller. What were the chances of meeting Lieutenant General and former Usher of the Black Rod. He was very polite though, answering her questions the way you would if you came across an elderly person wandering about in their pyjamas.

Great interview! Randomly with the former Black Rod. @abcnews reporter @abcbarbm Barbara Miller picks a person out of the queue at Queen's coffin - retired Usher of the Black Rod, Lieut General David Leakey. Unplanned, unresearched, under pressure! (Get contact details??) #mediapic.twitter.com/i2cEAIRAqp

Haha, great work @abcbarbm for accidentally stumbling on perhaps the most interesting person in a late night line of tens of thousands of people and then rolling with it 😂 : https://t.co/5FJ2Ivychw

Elsewhere in the sprawling queue to see Her Majesty’s coffin on Friday, local time, was football legend David Beckham, who was pictured wiping a tear as he kept a low profile in a cap.

The former England captain joined the line to pay his respects, and it didn’t take long for mourners to realise who he was as they asked for photographs.

When he entered the hall, Beckham was seen bowing his head and drying his eyes, before later explaining that his grandparents brought him up as a royalist.

“So this day was always going to be difficult, and it’s difficult for the nation, it’s difficult for everyone around the world, because I think everyone is feeling it, and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today,” Beckham told Sky News.

“Because it’s special to be here, to celebrate, and to hear the different stories that people have to say.”

The lines at Westminster Hall were so long at one point that the government had to step in and stop people from joining the queue, which snakes back kilometres across London.

On a trip to Australia, the Queen was in mortal danger - but decisions were made that meant she knew nothing about it.

The celebrity chef said she respected the work the Queen had done but said Australia was “old enough to stand on its own two feet and govern itself”.

The cameras were rolling when the outgoing A Current Affair host broke down in tears.