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Connect the World
Look Back at The Diamond Jubilee
Aired June 05, 2012 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Connect the World live from Buckingham Palace, beaming smiles says it all. A roaring sea of red, white, and blue greets the queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Overhead, the culmination of the diamond jubilee celebration, a spectacular fly past.
I'm Becky Anderson, welcome to a Connect the World special as we mark the climax of a celebrations 60 years in the making.
From a record breaking flotilla on the Thames to a star-studded concert and a dramatic fly past over Buckingham Palace, few of us are likely to witness another diamond jubilee in our lifetimes. The memories from the past four days will stay with us forever.
Over the next hour, we're going to relive some of the highlights as we look back at the festivities both here in Britain and across the commonwealth to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 60 year reign.
Joining me here at Buckingham Palace is our royal correspondent Max Foster and India Hicks, she was Princess Diana's bride's maid. Not only that, she's also Prince Charles' goddaughter. Thank you guys for a talk as we move through this next hour.
The tone of the day couldn't have been more different than yesterday. Gone were the pop stars and the fireworks, replaced instead by pomp and a spectacular fly past. Nick Glass takes a look back at the day's sights and sounds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK GLASS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Young, pure voices filling St. Paul's Cathedral in a service of thanksgiving. A new choir, a diamond choir, and a new song composed for the occasion.
The queen and her first born were still, just lost in thought, just listening. The choir was drawn from all over Britain, 11, 12, and 13-year- olds. The queen herself was just 11 when she first knew that she would succeed her father to the throne.
With Prince Philip under observation under hospital we worried a little for her this morning. For a moment in the great cathedral she looked so sad. But then it was just for a moment. We glimpsed her fleetingly as she was ferried from cathedral to reception and for lunch at Westminster.
And at the end of that, she was serenaded out to her favorite tune from Oklahoma "People Will Say We're in Love." She and Prince Philip saw the musical in London a few months before they were married almost 65 years ago.
The queen shared her open carriage back to Buckingham Palace with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The crowds along Whitehall were at least 12 deep. We counted them. And as far as we could tell there were even more people along the mall.
Then that great British tradition, umbrellas up and swarming down the mall to the palace. As the queen came out onto the balcony. She exclaimed quietly to herself, oh my goodness how extraordinary as well she might looking out onto the teeming swell of people and union flags.
Above us, we can just about make up the silhouette of the Dakota and the Lancaster bomber with its escort of Spitfires and a solitary Hurricane followed by a more visible salute from the Red Arrows. The queen stayed out on the balcony for 12 minutes.
The latest word on Prince Philip is that he is in good spirits and improving.
The queen will now reflect back on a long weekend of celebration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And we will get an update on the Duke of Edinburgh's condition shortly. India first, though.
The queen, oh my goodness, how extraordinary. Could you have summed it up better yourself?
INDIA HICKS, PRINCE DIANA'S BRIDESMAID: No. I think the pictures did everything for us. But what is amazing is to be sitting here on this damp evening with everything being packed up and watching that on a very small monitor and yet feeling unbelievably emotional that our queen has responded like that and the people responded to her extraordinary. And I think so endearing that we heard her say my goodness now extraordinary. She couldn't have anticipated, or she didn't believe that they would come out. Why of course they would.
ANDERSON: And there here in the thousands -- 250,000 on the mall. We know that's what the stretch of road here takes. A million people on the banks of the Thames, of course, on Sunday and thousands and thousands on Monday as well.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Before she came out on the balcony she did this message, didn't she. She recorded it last night, but it came out afterwards and she talked about being humbled. And I think -- I guess you never quite know that you're going to get the reaction. I mean, she always does. But it's a reminder, a confirmation that she is popular. Going into this the polls were over 80 percent in her favor. I mean, they could be even higher now, couldn't they?
ANDERSON: It's remarkable stuff. We're going to spend an hour reflecting on what we've seen over the past three or four days.
Let's, though, first head straight over to Dan Rivers who is outside the King Edward VII hospital here in London to find out what we know at this stage about Prince Philip's health -- Dan.
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the one part of proceedings that wasn't choreographed, that wasn't expected, that was a slight hiccup I suppose. But I think the good news is it sounds as if Prince Philip is doing well. He had a visitor this afternoon, or some visitors. The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edwards and his family Sophie and the two children James and Louise visiting him coming out afterwards and saying he's getting better he just needs some rest. And safe to say he's in good spirits, he's in good form looking like they had been reassured by the visit looking relaxed. No sign that there is anything really to worry about.
We talked to some doctors who suggested normally this would just be treated with a course of antibiotics, wouldn't even necessitate a stay in hospital, but because he's almost 91 and because he is who he is they're not taking any chances and so he's taking -- he's here under observation for a few days.
No statement yet from the hospital or any further statement from the palace. Perhaps tomorrow we may get that now that the formal jubilee events are subsiding. We may get an update. I would expect he may even be discharged by the end of the week.
ANDERSON: He's probably in the safest place. It's miserable and damp out here tonight. And I'm sure you are, too, outside of the hospital. We wish him the best throughout the hour. Thank you, Dan. We're going to hear from well wishers across the Commonwealth.
First, though, let's hear it from the queen herself who today had a message of her own.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, QUEEN OF ENGLAND: The events that I have attended to mark my diamond jubilee have been a humbling experience. It has touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families, neighbors, and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere. I hope that memories of all this year's happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come.
I will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from the country's kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the commonwealth. Thank you all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A message recorded earlier and broadcast around the world in the past hour or so.
FOSTER: Yeah, and I think it was recorded just after she -- we found out that Prince Philip had gone to hospital. So it's very much about her message about the commonwealth. It keeps getting reiterated. The river pageant, there was commonwealth flags, commonwealth boats. Last night at the concert here, there were commonwealth musicians. And again talking about the commonwealth today I guess she would regard it as her great legacy.
HICKS: Absolutely. And she is the queen of those countries. And in fact, you know, there is a wonderful moment when they're on the commonwealth tour. And they're in a boat. And she's incredible hot and it's a very informal moment and she's sweating. And my mother was holding her brother above her head and she said I feel like an African queen. And he said you are an African queen.
And in fact you with (inaudible) when he came to the Bahamas recently on behalf of his grandmother, I was speaking to some of the Bahamian dignitaries. And I said, you know of course he -- of course, Prince Harry this is he the prince of the Bahamas now. And people take enormous pride in that, that they are.
ANDERSON: Your mother is Prince Philip's first cousin of course.
We've been talking about how she will have missed him over the past couple of days also suggested, I think it was you who suggested to me that he will have been absolutely delighted he was on the flotilla, of course, on Sunday. That was his role. He gave up the navy, of course, to marry the queen and become the Duke of Edinburgh.
But she, the queen, calls him her say and her security.
HICKS: Absolutely. And as its been said before, his gracious success and achievement in life is having been there by her side throughout it all. Imagine what a role that must be, especially for a man to have to always be two steps behind, to always be in second place. I don't think it necessarily naturally comes to most men to say that position. And he's done it incredibly well.
But what's interesting is how much she actually relies on him.
FOSTER: I heard -- give us some insight here -- the suggestion that she allows him to take control of the family as a private matters and then she takes control in public.
HICKS: Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. And he runs all the estates and makes all the decisions on those. And that's a huge job in itself.
FOSTER: It's how she's managed them maybe.
HICKS: Yes. Yeah. But again I think it's a teamwork, you know together they've done this.
ANDERSON: Just before we move on, talking about managing an occasion, this has been quite remarkable, hasn't it? I mean, this is four days, but 60 years in the making. And people have been saying today this is the most remarkable celebration. The royal family hasn't put a foot wrong, nor have those who have been organizing this event.
FOSTER: Unbelievable. The river pageant, for one. And with all the rain, I mean there wasn't one problem. The -- the amount of horses today, not one bolted. I mean, it's no fluke, because I've seen what goes into it. They think about everything, but it is incredible.
HICKS: But I think what's unusual is we're very good at this. We know how to do it. There's a huge hierarchy. There are books printed inside the palace of how it all runs. We've done royal weddings, but we've never done a liquid performance before. And that's what we saw on Sunday, it was a liquid performance. And they managed it incredibly well.
And god was not on our side. The (inaudible) more than anybody anticipated.
FOSTER: Rain. We're going to remember the rain aren't we?
ANDERSON: Yeah, god was on queens side today, because as she walked off this balcony, having been there for what, 12 minutes, the heaven's opened as they did on Sunday. But at that stage, they'd gone and we were sort of making our way out.
Still to come -- thank you guys -- on this very special addition of Connect the World, more boats than London's River Thames have seen in over 350 years. We're going to bring you the very best of that royal river pageant. That's coming up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALCOLM BADGERY: On behalf of all of the people of Queensland we wish to congratulate you on achieving this great milestone. And thank you for the exemplary way you discharge your duties as our sovereign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A message from Australia there.
Welcome back. We're bringing you the very best of the jubilee weekend from right outside Buckingham Palace, that is a live shot here as they begin to break down what has been the most extraordinary setup for what has been the most extraordinary four days here in the UK. Over 1,000 ships, 40,000 people on board, and that million more lining the banks of the River Thames on Sunday.
London saw the largest flotilla of boats for more than three centuries sail through Britain's capital city. I'm here with India Hicks and Max Foster.
And this, of course, was the queen as she made her way towards what was the tender of her majesty's royal Britannia and then on to the royal barge. You and I were in the crowd. You were -- well you were...
HICKS: I was somewhat sheltered.
ANDERSON: Let's talk through what we're seeing here.
FOSTER: Yeah, so this was a big test, really, I think. There's lots of arguments. I know India thinks this was Prince Charles' idea. Boris Johnson, the mayor of London says it was his idea. But anyway on the day it was the queen's day and she goes off to her royal barge. That's the Gloriana that set things off and will become the state barge. It's a gift to her. And this really led the way.
And...
ANDERSON: And these guys had to row at four knots per hour and no faster, right?
FOSTER: There were rules, strict rules.
And what they did, they closed the Thames barrier, so they kept the level high. This is the bell barge which was right at the front. And these bells were created especially for the occasion. And the poor bell ringers didn't know what do expect, but it seemed to work on the day.
ANDERSON: I remember hearing those. And I was on Piccadilly. And this, the likes of which we haven't seen in 360 years India, this is quite remarkable isn't it?
HICKS: It really is. And there we just saw the Bahamian flag going past as one of the commonwealth countries. But remember, of course, in 1954 when the queen came back from the six month tour overseas as queen she came down the Thames in Britannia. So this must have been very emotional for her coming back.
And again I think there's a wonderful story of when they went under London Bridge in Britannia. They all held their breath thinking they weren't going to quite make it.
FOSTER: This is the royal barge which I've seen developed over the last few months. The guy that owns it was told it would only take six weeks, six months it took.
ANDERSON: (inaudible) they call it.
FOSTER: It's been transformed into this -- and these thrones were never sat on.
ANDERSON: Well that was because it was pouring with rain, right?
HICKS: That's because she's stoic. And she was going to stand for the eight hours.
FOSTER: This was going past south bank center I think it was which has had some great events along the river.
ANDERSON: Let's remind our viewers as we see Tower Bridge there rising as the (inaudible) went under the royal...
FOSTER: And the rain started.
ANDERSON: And the rain started. But there were a million people lining the banks of the River Thames.
No dampened spirits here. Listen to this. This was a moment.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: And let me, as we listen here, those were the singers from the Royal College of Music. And they were absolutely drenched. As spoke to them the morning after this on Monday. Let's just hear from them about how they felt, because they -- I mean, they looked as soggy as anything.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank goodness we put our hair back from our faces, because we wouldn't have been able to see anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was it like for you to do that/
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was incredible. I mean, the atmosphere was just so infectious. And when we finally came through past London Eye and we saw the crowds of people you felt sort of less guilty in fact that they've been standing there for so long. And although you were soaking wet you know you had a job to do, you have to sing, because these people have been waiting to see you.
So it was just -- it was incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Those are loyal subjects, aren't they.
FOSTER: They became so famous because the epitomized the day, didn't they? They just sort of carried on regardless. And they looked drenched. But the queen was standing up all that time, because she wanted -- that's what she promised, right?
HICKS: I think so. And I think -- but also looking back of course, one wonders how much pain Prince Philip must have been in. And as he just stood there unfaltering. He didn't go downstairs, he didn't sit down.
FOSTER: (inaudible)
HICKS: I think because they're British.
ANDERSON: I think they were probably pretty wet by the time they got home, that's...
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: We're going to take a very short break. When we come back we're going to take a look at the concert that rocked the palace here behind us just 24 hours ago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANN ROBBIE: We'd like to wish the queen and her family a joyous and wonderful jubilee. We feel very strongly that she of course with her country and duty way before herself which is very similar to what Nelson Mandela did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to our jubilee special. We're right outside Buckingham Palace bringing you the very best of the jubilee festivities.
It was a star-studded line-up for the biggest star of all, her majesty was treated to a two hour jubilee concert right in front of the palace here on Monday. From Paul McCartney, to Cheryl Cole, Britain's musical greats paid tribute to her 60 years of service. Have a listen to this.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Hundreds of thousands of people turned out to watch. And those lucky enough to get a front row seat were even moved to tears.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Well, one of the highlights of the night was Prince Charles paying tribute to his mommy. He also mentioned his dad.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: That was the close of the concert. And then we heard from Prince Charles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE CHARLES, QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S SON: The only sad thing about this evening is that my father couldn't be here with us, because unfortunately he is taken unwell. But ladies and gentlemen if we shout loud enough, he might just hear us in hospital and...
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The queen was dazzling for her final night of duty. And before we get to what happened next, let's just talk about the concert.
My highlight was seeing the queen jigging with the Archbishop of Canterbury to I think it was either Tom Jones or Shirley Bassey. I'm never going to see that again in my lifetime.
FOSTER: I know. Extraordinary scenes. That when he -- when Prince Charles there called for everyone to shout for his father, that was -- I mean, everyone was shouting Philip, Philip, and the studio hall here was shaking. I mean, that was pretty incredible.
HICKS: I also think it's a perfect example of the modern addition of the monarchy. Whoever thought that there would be a rock concert here with lights projected onto the palace. And the queen standing there jigging them on.
FOSTER: With ear plugs, though.
ANDERSON: Give her a break.
The projects I thought on the palace were absolutely extraordinary. When Madness played our house in the middle of one street.
FOSTER: And the amount of work that goes into those projects, but it completely flew. I mean, it was unbelievable. And the fireworks -- I mean, this is one set of fireworks, but the ones at the end on top of the palace was something else.
ANDERSON: Well, there was a last duty just before these fireworks which were absolutely extraordinary as the palace there was lit up. And that last duty for the queen was the lighting of the national beacon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The centerpiece of more than 4,000 beacons crisscrossing not only the country, but the entire globe. From Tonga to Australia to South Africa flames lit up the night sky uniting the queen with millions of her supporters around the world.
And I was told by somebody that they were expecting something like 2012 beacons, or that's what they hoped to signify the year, of course, but they couldn't believe how many were actually lit, more than 4,000.
FOSTER: Yeah, they had applications for them. They had double the amount of applications, most of them in Britain, but they were truly around the world. And in many non-commonwealth countries as well, people to get in the spirit it seems.
This crystal I followed the story of in recent weeks. It was especially made for the occasion. And that guy, Bruno Peak (ph) next to her did the whole beacon exercise entirely on his own. And he did say he was a bit worried about how the queen would be putting it in. She just put it in and there they go. But kept on pressing it. But it still worked.
ANDERSON: You would if you had a diamond that size, I guess.
HICKS: Yes you would. But I think what was particularly nice is one of the beacons was lit in Kenya at the lodge where she found out her beloved father had died. And that really does signify the beginning of those 60 years. So that was the most important beacon.
ANDERSON: Your mom was with her, of course.
HICKS: Absolutely. And an extraordinary story of going up the tree. It was their one night off. They went up the tree with Princess Elizabeth and she came down the tree with her majesty the queen and so the deep cuts in their relationship changed. But even more extraordinary when they got to Nairobi to fly back to the UK obviously the world press had descended by then, but as a sign of respect to our queen they placed their cameras on the floor and they bowed their heads. You'll never see that again.
ANDERSON: That would be the most photographed family in the world.
We're not finished yet. Still to come on Connect the World the crowds came from far and wide to honor the queen. We're going to share some of their good wishes right after this short break. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A very warm welcome to our viewers across Europe and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson here at Buckingham Palace. In a moment, we'll continue our special coverage of the queen's Diamond Jubilee. First, though, let's get a check of the latest world news headlines from CNN.
US officials say al Qaeda's second in command has been killed in a drone strike, a US drone strike in Pakistan. The attack that killed Abu Yahya al-Libi reportedly took place in North Waziristan near the Afghan border. Al-Libi was said to be al Qaeda's most senior figure after Ayman al-Zawahiri took over after the death of Osama bin Laden.
Syrian opposition activists say at least 44 people were killed across the country today, including government soldiers. Fierce clashes between rebels and troops are reported in Latakia province. In the meantime, the regime is retaliating against 11 countries that expelled Syrian diplomats last week. Today, Syria announced tit for tat expulsions.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Russia and China to be, and I quote, "part of the solution in Syria." She was speaking after a show of unity by both country's presidents during a visit by Vladimir Putin to Beijing. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said both leaders reiterated their opposition to foreign intervention in Syria.
And a man suspected of killing a Chinese student in Montreal has said he will not fight extradition to Canada. Luka Rocco Magnotta was arrested in Berlin on Monday. An international manhunt was launched after dismembered body parts were found, including a hand and foot posted to Canadian politicians. The Canadian police say some parts of the murder victim, Jun Lin, are still missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN LAFRENIERRE, COMMANDER, MONTREAL POLICE: The head is still missing, and we've got one hand and one foot still missing at this moment. This is kind of ugly to say that, but this is what it is, actually. So, we're still missing three body parts. Were they shipped to the same location? People have been talking about this. We get no indication whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Nigerian aviation authorities have suspended Dana Air's license after Sunday's deadly plane crash in Lagos. The jet went down in a crowded part of the city, slammed into a building. The crash killed everyone onboard and at least 10 people on the ground. Officials there have now recovered the plane's flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.
A Chinese bus driver is being hailed as a hero after a freak accident that killed him. Wu Bin was behind the wheel on a highway when this happened: he was hit by a flying chunk of metal. Despite being hit, though, he kept the bus under control and managed to pull over. He died three days later.
That is a wrap of your headlines this hour.
Well, a spectacular finish to four days of celebrations marking 60 years on the throne. In case you missed it, here are a few of today's highlights from the queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Her majesty led a glittering state procession through the center of London. She had to ride without her husband, Prince Philip, who's still in hospital. So, Prince Charles and Camilla joined her instead in her carriage.
Later, the queen and royal family delighted some 1.5 million adoring fans by greeting them from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The Royal Air Force Red Arrows then staged a dramatic flyover, filling the skies with colored smoke.
A special televised speech by the queen wrapped up these Jubilee celebrations. She called it a, quote, "humbling experience" and said that she was deeply touched.
As the queen arrived back at Buckingham Palace today, it reminded us of another occasion, her coronation in 1953, just over a year after she ascended the throne. Looking slightly unsure of herself, the new queen steps down from her carriage and straight into the role that she would occupy almost six decades later, or for six decades.
Fast forward to today, and this was the scene from earlier, the same location, but the queen appearing a lot more sure-footed this time, accompanied in the state Landau by her son, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Well, once again, we're joined here at Buckingham Palace by India Hicks, she's Prince Charles's goddaughter. Your mum, of course, was a lady- in-waiting and spent much of the last 60 years with Queen Elizabeth II.
INDIA HICKS, PRINCE CHARLES'S GODDAUGHTER: Yes. I think what's important to remember is that the queen, although so young, age 25, taking on that role, she was very aware that she was anointed and not appointed, and it was exactly that. It was her role, it was her duty. And I think that is how she has remained this remarkable figurehead.
ANDERSON: Do you know, I think it's absolutely remarkable that we very rarely, if ever, see an interview with Her Majesty. We hear her every year on Christmas Day with her message to the Commonwealth. Your mother spent so much time with her. What's she like as a person?
HICKS: Human. Very human. But she's -- there is definite formality. But she's a mother and she obviously takes her role incredibly seriously, so works unbelievably hard. Imagine, she took six months on that Commonwealth tour, six months away from her children, which of course, in those days, was very acceptable. Nobody would have batted an eyelid about it.
Now, possibly, I think times have moved that we would question it more. But again, it was her sense of duty. That's what she had to do.
ANDERSON: Today we were talking a little earlier about security here, how on those Commonwealth tours in the past, people got very, very close. It was a very familiar scene, whereas today, despite the security, people have felt close, I think, to the royal family. But we're a long way away these days.
HICKS: Well, especially today, where it -- it's in a very manicured way. On some of those Commonwealth tours, they are. And of course, we're talking about countries that get very overexcited. They're not quite as reserved as we are as Brits.
And I think on some occasions people get very excited and start throwing flowers into open-top cars and carriages, and at one point, they start throwing the flags. And the queen said, "Now, those hurt." And there was a concern that she might have been blinded by one of those little sticks.
ANDERSON: Do they enjoy those tours?
HICKS: I think in part. But again, it's duty. They are exhausting. Imagine, she's probably going to a state opening of Parliament once a week wearing tiara and evening dress nearly every single night. It's very long.
ANDERSON: Looking at the pictures today, she stood on the balcony. She said, "Oh, my gracious, oh, my goodness, I can't believe this. This is extraordinary." Do you think she still feels -- and I'm certain that she feels a sense of responsibility, but when she looks out into the Mall here and you've got 250,000 people, does she still get that sense of excitement, do you think?
HICKS: Well, I think, clearly, from the reaction that we saw. I gather also that she said, "I wish Philip was here." It's -- you know. It's amazing to realize that she stood there all the time with him by her side.
ANDERSON: Will it have bothered her that over the past two decades, let's be quite frank, the royal family haven't been as popular as they are now.
HICKS: But she has always been. There was one small glitch when Diana died, and the queen felt that her role was more as a grandmother than the queen and she wanted to be with those boys and protect them, and it was misunderstood by the British public, who felt that she was staying away.
In actual fact, she was trying to protect her grandsons. She was in the role of a grandmother, and I think once it was explained and she came down, the British public turned. I think our love for her has never diminished. Possibly the role of the monarchy has changed, and opposite goes in six court roundabout.
Let's just take a look at what we've seen over the past couple of days. One of the many highlights was the debut of "Sing," of course, a track written especially for the Jubilee by Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC - "SING")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Gary Barlow looked exhausted there. He traveled across the Commonwealth to recruit musicians for the song. He also tapped the talents of Prince Harry, who didn't sing, but he did pick up an instrument. I recently talked about that with Andrew Lloyd Webber. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERW LLOYD WEBBER, COMPOSER: Oh, he plays the tambourine very movingly.
ANDERSON: Is he any good?
WEBBER: Well, he plays the tambourine like that. And it's extremely moving when you hear it.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Was he any good? He said, "He picked it up."
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: I'm not sure when you've got a man who has musical talent say. But he looks as if he was enjoying himself, though, Prince Harry.
HICKS: Absolutely. Harry has many talents. And in fact, I think he's a real budding star, there, for the family, and I think he's got a very natural way about him. He improvises on a lot of his own speeches and just comes out with natural things. So, I think he's absolutely the person to be picking up the tambourine.
ANDERSON: You were with him, of course, on the tour, his recent tour --
HICKS: Yes. For a brief, brief, moment, but I did see someone who is very comfortable and at ease, and the people reacted to him. They loved it, and there was a lot of, actually, very passionate women following him.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Well, for those in the crowds today --
HICKS: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- some of them were about four years old, actually, holding these signs that Prince Harry was theirs. India, stay with me.
Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, she's served her country for 60 years, but what does Britain's next generation think of the queen? We'll find out a little bit more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, outside Buckingham Palace. We're just going to take a moment out from our reflections on what has been four days of celebrations for the queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Every Tuesday on CONNECT THE WORLD, we introduce you to some of the world's leading businesswomen, and this week, we meet the CFO of China's answer to Google.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside China's biggest internet search company, Baidu, and up close with its chief financial officer. The non-nonsense executive joined Baidu four years ago after more than a decade at General Motors. It didn't take her long to fit in.
JENNIFER LI, CFO, BAIDU: This is a company about technology, and technology really changes people's lives, and I fell in love with it. And it's just in my blood in how I feel.
STOUT: A turnaround for a woman who once resisted a career in IT, opting for one in corporate finance. Now, she has her hands in both.
LI: Gender is not a factor when it comes to success in a professional setting. It is your attitude towards work. It's about passion for excellence. It is about determination.
STOUT: The exec who commands the number two spot at this $40 billion company is Jennifer Li.
In the heart of Beijing is an internet giant referred to as China's google. With more than 16,000 employees, hundreds of millions of users, Baidu, not Google, rules internet searches in China.
LI: Robin created the company about 12 years ago, and so all the way has built, really, the biggest Chinese language search engine in the world.
STOUT: Baidu CFO Jennifer Li is referring to her boss, Robin Li, who after getting his start in California's Silicon Valley, pulled up stakes and came home to start Baidu.
Today, Li, no relation to Jennifer Li, is one of the richest men in the country, and his search engine is king. Google pulled out of mainland China in 2010 over claims of government censorship, leaving the field wide open for Baidu. Jennifer Li is quick to point out Baidu's success is not by default.
LI: I think we need to put things in perspective. At the time Google exited the China market, Baidu already commanded over 70 percent of the market, and Google was about 20. Search engine itself by far has created tremendous access to information for people.
STOUT: And with more than 1 billion potential internet users in this market, Baidu's phenomenal growth is likely to increase, and so, too, its number of employees.
LI: When I joined the company, we had about 6,000 people. Now, we have 16,000 people. So, the company throughout the past four years has grown tremendously.
STOUT: Which has the company searching for new software to manage its human resources. On this day, Li is listening to a presentation by the company Excentor.
LI: What I don't want to see is -- (through translator) What I don't want for Baidu is to be compared to your generic human resources template.
LI (in English): I'm the CFO here, but I'm also looking after inter functions, marketing functions. It's very dynamic, typically, during the day. The day goes by very fast.
That's my family. Yes.
STOUT: It all adds up to roughly ten hours a day at the office, says this mother of two.
LI (through translator): Did you look to see if you caught a fish? Wow, you got one!
LI (in English): I love my kids. So, I would like to spend more time with them. I love my job, too, and every single minute here is well-spent.
(CHILD SPEAKING CHINESE)
LI: But then, I typically leave the weekends to the kids.
STOUT: Li says she's figured out how to balance work and family life, and that the company culture at Baidu and China overall makes it possible for women to excel at the highest levels.
LI: I feel China is very open-minded when it comes to women executives. The society is very open, and I feel many companies created a very level playground when it comes to employment.
I think really coming to become a female executive is more about what it takes to become an executive, less so about being a female.
STOUT: In the coming weeks, we'll bring you more with Jennifer Li, including some tough love she'll offer women.
LI: Gender in the work environment should not be a factor when it comes to how far you can do. Your fate is really in your own hand. I cannot postulate about the environment, how other people should be treating me and giving me opportunities, oftentimes it's what you do and how you earn those opportunities.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Our series, Leading Women. You're watching a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. When we come back, 60 years and counting. We look ahead to what the future may hold for Elizabeth and the rest of her royal family.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And may the light of Your Majesty's crown continue to reign supreme for many years to come.
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ANDERSON: President Barack Obama paying tribute to the queen and wishing her well for the future. Welcome back.
After a decade which has seen the reputation of the royals transformed, the future for the monarchy, certainly in Britain, is looking very bright, indeed. Look at what's in store. I'm joined once again toward the end of the this special show by our royal correspondent, Max Foster, and one of Princess Diana's bridesmaids, India Hicks.
There is no doubt, and certainly the polls are telling us, the people lining the streets here certainly roared and told us that this royal family is a popular one.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: She can judge it probably better than anyone, can't she? She sees the reactions, and she came out saying, "How extraordinary." Is that the right terminology? So, I think that pretty much says it all. The crowds were not only numerous, they were very vocal and positive.
HICKS: Well, I think it was also -- it was our day to thank her. And that doesn't happen very often. We tend to take our royal family for granted.
ANDERSON: What happens next? We're -- it's -- do we look to the future?
HICKS: How could anyone predict? I do not see any abdication. This is not the way it goes. I think that Charles is now a happier man, and he's a very steadfast man, so I think we're in good hands.
ANDERSON: This is no swan song, though, Max?
FOSTER: No. And she has -- she's spoken -- she didn't refer to it, then, but she's spoken two other times about her Diamond Jubilee, and she reasserted her commitment to the British people, which is a very clear message that she's going to stay in position, no plans to retire.
ANDERSON: People of all ages have been celebrating Elizabeth II's 60- year reign. We spoke to kids of the aptly-named Jubilee Primary School in South London and asked them what the queen means to them. Have a listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: She's old, but she is still very clever.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: She helps the whole city be much better and helps everyone in the town and that's why I like her.
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ANDERSON: I met a six-year-old, I think, on Sunday in the rain, who said that she was practicing because she would be queen, she said. She was just practicing, she was watching what the queen did this week. These kids, they love her.
HICKS: And what an exhausting thought. To do that all over again.
(LAUGHTER)
FOSTER: Yes. It's an interesting thing, though, because people are fascinated by her, but -- India knows better than me, but since I've been on the beat, it's actually quite hard work. It sounds like a ridiculous thing, but they do work quite hard. She does work quite hard, and at that age.
HICKS: Quite hard? Unbelievably hard.
ANDERSON: What do you think they're doing tonight, then, India?
HICKS: God, I hope she's in bed with a cup of tea, but tomorrow she's got a Commonwealth lunch. She starts all over again. There's very few days where she's not off duty. And she takes her responsibilities very intensely, that -- that box that's delivered to her every evening, that she goes through all the paperwork.
FOSTER: It's interesting, I interviewed John Major ahead of this Jubilee, and he talked about how useful those weekly meetings are the prime minister has with the queen, because it's the one place where you are in a room with just one person, it's completely discreet, and you can be completely honest with someone who has got a huge amount of experience to draw on, but won't judge you on any decisions you make.
ANDERSON: Off record.
HICKS: Therapy.
ANDERSON: Therapy.
FOSTER: It's cold because there's lots of secrets, he said.
ANDERSON: Thank you, chaps. In tonight's Parting Shots, tributes to the queen from some of the best-dressed spectators in town. Take a look at this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is the best day of my life. Fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: What about your hat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's for the queen. A tribute to her. She's my queen, our queen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To say thank you, because she's worked hard all her life for everybody. She didn't choose to do this, but she's done a great job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic opportunity to thank the queen for 60 years of service she's given to the country, so -- and yes, I thought, why not dress in the Union Jack from head to toe, really? So, I just hope the weather stays fine, really.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's special, she's really, really special. She's wonderful. We're proud to be British.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, with Max Foster and India Hicks this morning for what was a -- this evening, sorry -- for what was a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD live from Buckingham Palace. I don't even know what time of day it is.
As we mark the queen's Diamond Jubilee, a truly global celebration, thank you to CNN's royal correspondent and my guest, India Hicks for her insight and analysis. The world news headlines up after this short break.
We're going to leave you with some of the incredible sights and sounds from what was an historic day here in London.
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