Awkward Moment Comedian is Told Mid-Prince Philip Joke That He's Dead

That awkward moment when you're in the middle of roasting someone and you find out they just died.

Such was the situation Australian comic Lewis Spears found himself in on Friday when he discovered Prince Philip had passed away half way through a set pillorying him.

The comedian was mocking the controversy surrounding the Meghan Markle-Oprah Winfrey interview, when he obliviously moved onto the Duke of Edinburgh.

"Have you guys seen Prince Philip? That c--- is 3000 years old! I'm pretty sure he invented racism."

It was at this point a handful of audience members could be heard informing him "he just died", prompting a stunned look from Spears — and lots of laughter.

"What?!" he exclaimed, before one audience member handed him a phone, and he read — to audible groans — the official death notice from Buckingham Palace.

"Can I just say: a bit overdue," Spears says, thinking on his feet.

“Are we sure he died today?" he went on. "I reckon he died ten years ago, and they just wheel him out attached to strings at special events."

He continued with his Royal set unperturbed, trolling back over some of the late Duke's more infamous faux pas for five more minutes — but just referring to him in the past tense.

"I'm gonna post this s--t tomorrow," he boasted to the cheering crowd. "I can't believe the c--- died during my set!"

And when the audience got uncomfortably quiet after a Prince Andrew / pedophilia gag, he was quick to remind them they were applauding the death of his father just moments earlier.

"My jokes might be cursed. Who's next?" he tweeted after going viral. "To be honest I’m just glad it happened while I was wearing the jacket."