Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children.
The broadcaster, 62, faces three charges over alleged activity between the end of 2020 and spring 2022.
Edwards – who quit BBC in April after 40 years on screens – was arrested last November.
He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning (July 31).
The police claimed the offences were linked to images shared on WhatsApp.
A Met Police spokesperson said in a statement: ‘Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children following a Met Police investigation.
‘The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat.
‘Edwards was arrested on November 8, 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, June 26 following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.’
The statement confirmed Edwards’ court appearance this week, stating that he has been released on bail.
‘Media and the public are strongly reminded that this is an active case.
‘Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.’
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson echoed the Met’s statement, adding: ‘We remind all that proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.
‘It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.’
The offences can carry a jail term of up to 10 years.
Edwards – who has five children with wife Vicky Flind – joined the BBC as a trainee in 1984 and went on to become one of the corporation’s most prominent and highest-paid news anchors.
He began by fronting the Six O’Clock News from 1994 to 2003 before becoming the main presenter of BBC One’s flagship Ten O’Clock News.
The veteran broadcaster famously broke the news to the nation after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, and led coverage of her funeral.
He was also the lead presenter for King Charles’ coronation last May.
Additionally, throughout the years, he presented the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales) in 2011, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, and the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021.
The presenter was also the broadcaster’s voice at Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance, and took over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019.
Edwards resigned from the BBC this year following allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit pictures.
He remained absent from screens from when the story first broke in July 2023 until his exit was confirmed.
The newsreader’s salary was revealed recently, as it was confirmed that he was paid more than 475,000 by the BBC last year before he left.
Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming, according to the BBC’s annual report.
This marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between £435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials.
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