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CNN Live Event/Special

The Royal Wedding. Aired 11-12p ET

Aired May 19, 2018 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:14] DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to our viewers across the world and welcome to CNN's special coverage of the royal wedding.

I'm Don Lemon.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN ANCHOR: And I am Clarissa Ward, live in beautiful Windsor, England.

LEMON: It is beautiful and we have that castle. We brought it in just for this.

WARD: Especially.

LEMON: Yes.

WARD: Just for the show. Just for today.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I mean we couldn't have imagined a more beautiful day and a more beautiful shot. I mean the castle right behind us.

From a blind date to a royal "I do". Can you imagine that? Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle are officially husband and wife.

WARD: The newlywed couple now taking on the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It really was Don -- the perfect morning for a royal wedding here in Windsor. As you said, the sun shining -- that doesn't always happen here in England.

Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the couple's big day. So --

LEMON: Yes. I think we should get out in the crowd. We'll do all of that in just a moment. But let's get out and talk to some of the folks. And you were out there --

WARD: Let's do it.

LEMON: -- you were inside.

WARD: We were in the castle.

LEMON: Yes.

WARD: We were actually inside the castle walls. And yo9u know what's extraordinary, Don -- that you didn't necessarily get a feel for watching it on TV -- just how intimate it felt.

LEMON: Yes. It was very intimate. It was very quiet and as you saw Prince Harry and Prince William walking into the church, you realize that they didn't actually feel necessarily the eyes of the world on them because it was a very embracing, intimate, loving environment. So it really was striking, the quietness of the whole affair.

LEMON: Yes. I was talking to Richard Quest earlier. And he said they managed to do everything, do it all, as if we were not watching. And that's exactly how it should be.

So some of the best moments -- let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I, Harry, take you, Meghan --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- to be my wife.

HARRY: -- to be my wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To have and to hold.

HARRY: To have and to hold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From this day forward.

HARRY: From this day forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For better for worse.

HARRY: For better for worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For richer for poorer.

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: For richer for poorer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In sickness and in health.

MARKLE: In sickness and in health.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To love and to cherish.

MARKLE: To love and to cherish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Till death us do part.

MARKLE: Till death us do part.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to God's holy law.

HARRY: According to God's holy law. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the presence of God --

HARRY: In the presence of God --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- I make this vow.

HARRY: -- I make this vow.

Meghan -- I give you this ring.

MARKLE: Harry -- I give you this ring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: Just so beautiful. I swear there was not a dry eye in the house. There couldn't be a dry eye in the house.

LEMON: How did you get so lucky?

WARD: It was so beautiful.

LEMON: How did you get to go inside? How did you get to go inside?

WARD: You've got to know the right people -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, you got invited to the wedding.

WARD: Well, that's maybe a stretch, but ok. We can work with that.

LEMON: You said that it was very intimate, right.

WARD: It was intimate. It was beautiful.

LEMON: What stood out to you besides that?

WARD: You know, what stood out to me is how much joy it gave the members of the public -- 1,200 of them who were allowed to sit just outside that chapel. That really was a day that they will never forget for the rest of their lives.

LEMON: Yes.

WARD: Now, the newlyweds did invite thousands of people from the public, as I just said, inside the castle grounds; many of them community leaders from different various communities around the United Kingdom.

LEMON: Yes. And CNN's Nick Watt joins us now from Windsor, England. Nick -- you've been out and about. You've been witnessing a lot of this. What are you seeing out there -- my man?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don -- there were more than 100,000 people on the streets of Windsor today. You know, some of them had camped out all week and still there are 600 guests -- the people who were in the chapel have been having lunch hosted by the Queen. They've been eating salmon-wrapped langoustine, grilled asparagus, 10-hour slow-roast Windsor pork belly, and a lemon-and- elder flour cake made with 500 eggs.

[11:05:03] Among those guests: George Clooney, Amal Clooney and Oprah Winfrey. One of, I think, the strangest moments of the whole day which would encapsulate how big this was -- the guests arrived way before Meghan. Oprah Winfrey was actually kept waiting in that chapel for about two hours for Meghan to show up. Anything that makes Oprah wait for two hours is a big deal. Anything that changes the flight path over a castle is a big deal.

This was a pretty profoundly amazing service -- an Anglican Church of England service, the like of which we have never seen before. And we have a royal family that is never going to look the same as it ever has. Meghan -- a biracial American actress -- is now the Duchess of Sussex.

And finally the royal family, through no fault of its own in the past necessarily -- but the royal family now reflects what modern Britain really is.

Back to you -- guys.

LEMON: Yes. Yes, absolutely. And a lot of people are saying it's about time, right.

WARD: We're learning now from some more details about the lunch that took place of course. We're hearing that Elton John actually performed at that lunch for all 600 people --

LEMON: Wow.

WARD: -- who were inside the chapel. You can imagine what an extraordinary moment it must have been.

LEMON: Yes.

WARD: Especially because, of course, Elton John sang that beautiful song "Candle in the Wind" for Prince Harry's mother's funeral, Diana.

LEMON: Mother -- Princess Diana.

(CROSSTALK)

WARD: A really special moment.

LEMON: And by the way, thank you very much -- Nick Watt.

Yes. And you know what, it is interesting. This is really Hollywood meets the monarchy. And I saw -- I was watching Oprah Winfrey come in and looking to the back of, you know, for her seat assignment in the back row and I heard the commentator say, "Oprah, of course you're not sitting in the back. You need to move forward." But I mean it was very interesting to watch all this. We have a lot to discuss here from the memorable moments to the memorable fashion to tradition to history being made. Of course, you know, the fashion and the fashion and more.

Joining us now is CNN contributor and author of "Elizabeth the Queen: the Life of a Modern Monarch" Sally Bedell Smith; and also our royal historian, Kate Williams here as well.

So let's start with the most memorable moments. By the way, welcome to you.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Hello.

LEMON: What stood out to you?

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, CNN COMMENTATOR: You know, well -- ok. I'm an American, but I absolutely loved "Stand By Me". And I thought the gospel choir, particularly when they started to sway a little bit, you know, I thought that was such a kind of quintessentially American moment and it reflected black culture. But it also was a, I mean it was a great hit in American rock and roll.

And I thought, I also loved the way the Reverend Curry had a kind of, you know, he struck a sort of informal tone. He said "Now I don't want to keep y'all waiting. And I know I have to get on with this."

But he ranged from you know, the sort of erudite to (INAUDIBLE), to Martin Luther King Jr. and the whole notion of fire and how it resulted in all the modern civilization. Although I did think there was one moment when he was talking about how fire made all the automobiles possible and I sort of was looking closely at Prince Charles and wondering, Prince Charles does not like petrol at all. Was he having a little, you know, sort of moment in his head?

WARD: And what do you think, I mean Kate -- I'm curious to hear your take on this because it was highly unorthodox for a royal wedding. It felt beautiful, it felt perfect. But what do you think the royals made of the homily and of "Stand By Me" and some of these more American touches?

WARD: Well, the service was incredible. Bishop Curry was electrifying, to hear discussing faith -- holding on to your faith through slavery, discussing slavery -- the resilience, the power of love -- such a vital message. The choir was incredible.

But yes, it was new. We haven't seen that in royal weddings before. Royal weddings have often been quite formal, quite old songs, quite traditional. And I think that's absolutely brilliant and overdue. To think we've had people of color in Britain since the 11th century -- this is before the castle was even here -- and we haven't reflected in our royal weddings.

I think it's marvelous and brilliant. And Bishop Curry -- I think, I think the Queen loved it. She loved the pastor's speech (ph). He'll be around for tea within a couple of days, I guarantee it. (CROSSTALK)

LEMON: One second -- one second, I think that you hit the nail on the head because we were talking in the hour before this and I think it was a very honest admission when Angela said, you know, she was a bit uncomfortable. She didn't think it was appropriate, right, for the gospel choir or whatever. But I think it was stunningly uncomfortable, but in a needed way.

WILLIAMS: The passion and soul and the heart of this new London choir. And I really do think that Meghan and Harry loved it. It was clearly (INAUDIBLE), they've been touched. And I think everything about the wedding was about heart, about emotion.

[11:10:01] And for me, the best moment was when Harry saw Meghan for the first time, that dress. Others that have seen -- the queen's inspected; I think Kate had a little bit of a look. No one else knew but Harry saw her and said, "You look amazing. I'm so lucky." And that was so romantic.

SMITH: And Prince William said the same thing to Kate. He said "You look amazing" -- almost identical.

WARD: What did you make of that moment, that iconic moment when she walked in on her own looking so magnificent with this stunning train trailing behind her? I mean again, we haven't seen anything quite like it.

SMITH: No.

WARD: All royal brides look beautiful. Kate Middleton looked beautiful, but that striking image of her alone.

SMITH: Yes.

Well, that was it and it was partly by circumstance. But I had heard actually that in knowing that her father was sort of fragile emotionally, that she had at least mooted the idea of going down the aisle by herself. And I thought it was a really deft compromise to have her go up to the choir and then be greeted by her future father- in-law who would escort her through the choir and it was such a symbol of welcome, of solidarity with her, and it just was -- just a wonderful combination.

WILLIAMS: Didn't Prince Charles look so thrilled to be taking such a part.

SMITH: Yes.

WILLIAMS: We know -- we know he's always wanted a daughter. He had -- he had actually escorted a daughter of a friend -- Alexander --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: But I just thought this was so romantic and Meghan with all those children. Can't believe how brilliant they all behaved -- wonderful behaved children. And she came up and she was this independent woman giving herself to Harry and I think that sends such a powerful signal.

WARD: -- to women across the world.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Do you think young folks are like finally, it's not so stodgy. This is real.

WILLIAMS: Well, I've been looking on Twitter and social media all day and I've seen all kinds of response. Some people saying I wouldn't watch the last wedding -- I wasn't really interested. But this is different. This is exciting. This is multicultural Britain.

And we know there were lots of street parties.

WARD: We can hear the party starting.

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: -- but already we're starting on the wine and people in Brixton and south London, they're traditional African community -- they've got huge street parties there. They didn't for the first wedding. And that's because they really seem young and exciting and all these young guests.

And what I loved with seeing David Beckham giving a real hug to one of the survivors of the Manchester bombing -- the Manchester bombing survivors who were invited to be some of the guests there. That was really wonderful to think that this is very happy news, but not to forget those who have had tragedy.

LEMON: Quick to Sally before we get to break.

SMITH: Well, I just thought that the queen is no stranger to evangelical preachers. She was a friend of Billy Graham's. He didn't preach in St. George but he did preach in the private chapel with her. I mean it's a different form of evangelism, but I think it has to resonate because she is a deeply religious woman and that was a deeply religious ceremony.

WARD: And what a positive and beautiful message it was -- the love of God, the love of one another --

SMITH: Yes. Yes.

WARD: -- beautiful, beautiful day. All right. Sally, Kate -- thank you so much.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

SMITH: You're welcome.

LEMON: Yes. We've got a lot more to cover straight ahead here on our royal wedding coverage here on CNN. One of Prince Harry's closest friends and business partners, well, they just left the Queen's reception. He gives us insight into the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

We'll be right back.

[11:13:23] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WARD: Welcome back.

Newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now celebrating at the reception.

LEMON: One of the receptions.

WARD: One of the receptions.

LEMON: We've got many more to go too, right.

WARD: The first.

LEMON: Let's get to Max Foster in Windsor, England. Max -- are you headed to one of those receptions? That's what I hear.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There are multiple receptions. You go to (INAUDIBLE) for one now where everyone's all dressed up and Elton John plays. All very civilized -- drinking champagne, of course there's food (ph).

Later on though -- you know, Harry's a bit of a party animal. We know that. He's mates with party animals. They're going to have party down at Frogmore House which is still on the estate here. And it's going to go on late into the night if we know Harry.

I think some of the celebrations here will be going on late into the night as well. The prosecco (ph) is being drunk. It's hot weather and as Clarissa knows that's not good for Brits.

WARD: It's always a recipe for disaster -- Max. This is true. And I can only assume across the country now there are many Brits who are getting very drunk on prosecco and also the sunshine which is a rare treat here.

But Max -- give us the standpoint. You know, people who you've been talking to -- you're there on the long walk -- all day, it's been filled with thousands of people. What are they telling you? What was their impression of this ceremony?

FOSTER: Well they're all pro-monarchy. And they got what they came for which was the fairytale. I mean this is an L.A. girl from a broken home who had a very successful career. Met her prince and didn't just get consumed into the system which is very easy to do. And it's incredible how she asserted herself today I think.

She did it in her own way. And we saw that in so many elements. I mean Don's been talking about it. And I think, you know, there are many memories here. The kids were great. It was lovely to see Doria Ragland, you know, shed a tear when her daughter came in. Harry was emotional. So there are all the fairytale elements.

But then you had the really progressive element, which was I think probably defined by that choir and seeing everyone respond to that. And it was a breath of fresh air.

I mean you know, our colleagues, our British colleagues have all talked about how, you know, these are so stuffy, these affairs. And it lightened it. It spoke to now.

[11:20:05] And you've got to remember that the queen would have approved everything here. And she feels that, you know, the country is ready for modernization so she's allowed Meghan to do whatever she wants with the service and it was fantastic.

LEMON: Well, they're very similar in that sense and they're very relatable. You said she's from a broken home. Well, he is, too. I mean his parents were divorced.

WARD: Absolutely.

LEMON: Then he lost his mother and had some issues as well. So I mean they're very relatable to most people that they pulled down the facade for that --

WARD: They transcend the monarchy.

LEMON: Yes. And I've got an important question for you -- Max because I understand the reception that they're going to now which is hosted by Prince Charles, if I have it right -- it's called the knees up. Explain that to us.

FOSTER: Knees up. So I mean, Clarissa -- help me out here. I haven't explained it all day. I mean it's basically how do I say it in a politically correct. Clarissa --

(CROSSTALK)

FOSTER: -- after you.

WARD: No, Max -- I insist. You must do the honors here.

FOSTER: It's going to be a lot of drink, a bit of debauchery, and nothing's going to ever be reported from it. It's going to be a black hole in royal history.

LEMON: All right.

WARD: And some great toasts. I'm sure there'll be some great toasts. I'm sure Prince William will make a speech as that best man --

LEMON: Yes.

WARD: -- that is likely to embarrass Harry. That is always a rite of passage at any British wedding. And Max -- I just wanted to ask you one more thing that really struck me. I think we saw sort of a different side of Prince Charles today. He was so gentle, both with Meghan and with Doria -- so chivalrous, which of course, he always is. But there was almost a tenderness that came out in him.

FOSTER: Yes, the pool reporter told me, the reporter who was in the church on behalf of all of us, told me that he actually took her hand as they went in to sign the register which really says it all.

I mean that idea of Prince Charles being at the entrance to the choir was to welcome Meghan Markle into the royal family. The tiara -- the queen invited Megan Markle into Buckingham Palace before the wedding and asked her to choose one of her tiaras. These are all signals to the world, but also to Meghan that she is now part of this establishment.

You know, there's going to be some tough times ahead for her. But what they're doing is saying you have our full support and Harry's going to protect her. And we also know that Kate's been very involved because she's probably the only person that fully understands what this is like. And she's going to be advising Meghan going forward.

But it's really going to be Harry helping her through this. I think, you know, he does -- inevitably is his character feels some guilt about the pressure she's under. The pressure her father's come under and I think that that is something he's going to help her through. But I think she's also helping him with this nervousness he has in public and they're going to be a real double act.

LEMON: Very good, very well said. Max Foster -- thank you.

You know, Clarissa -- I have a really good feeling about this. I mean I still stick with what I said earlier. I think this is going to be transformational for the royal family. I don't think that they're going to all of a sudden spring into the future in a day or two, but I think this is a turning point.

WARD: No, it is. I think it's a watershed moment and what happens from here on out, well we'll all be watching closely.

LEMON: Yes. And the important thing of the day is the dress -- right?

WARD: Absolutely.

LEMON: Yes. So we're going to be talking specifically about Meghan's dress, the designer and what it says about what we can expect from a fashion sense from a royal -- fashion sense from a royal.

We're going to be back with our special coverage from Windsor in just a moment. Don't go anywhere.

[11:23:38] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, we are back for the royal wedding and look how beautiful it is here. I mean you said this is unusual to have this.

WARD: This really is. I mean I said you're rolling the dice when you get married in England in May, frankly when you get married in England in any month. But you're really rolling the dice with May.

But look at this. The heavens have opened and not in a sense of a deluge of rain, but just beautiful sunshine --

LEMON: Yes.

WARD: -- blue skies, amazing day.

LEMON: Don Lemon here with Clarissa Ward -- the lovely Clarissa Ward. You're dressed for the occasion. You were actually inside. I'm very jealous about that.

But my next guest is a good friend of Prince Harry. Dominic Reid is the CEO of the Prince's Invictus Games Foundation. He has travelled the world with the Prince staging sporting competitions for wounded service members.

Dominic -- you attended the wedding. You were at the first reception, right?

DOMINIC REID, CEO, INVICTUS GAMES FOUNDATIONS: I was, yes. Just come from there.

LEMON: How was it? Tell us about it.

REID: It was nice. It was wonderful. It was really -- it was an amazing service. It was a lovely service. The service was televised. Obviously everybody saw that.

But no, it was a very, very touching reception; very private affair -- really nice speech by the Prince of Wales. We heard earlier on, you know, how there's this sense that he's soft. But it was a very touching speech by the Prince of Wales.

And then Elton John played. They needed a piano player. So you know, he was there.

LEMON: What did he play? Do you remember?

REID: He played three songs. It was great.

LEMON: And I love the morning suit. I don't know, you probably can't stand up, but you have the traditional striped gray trousers and the cut away coat, right.

REID: That's right. Yes. I look silly.

WARD: Looking very smart.

LEMON: You're looking very dapper.

REID: Thank you very much. LEMON: Yes.

WARD: Very dapper indeed.

REID: And that's what -- yes, that's what most people at the reception would have been wearing.

WARD: And so just tell me, obviously you've been a really good friend of Prince Harry's for quite some time now. Have you noticed a change in him at all since he met Meghan? Do you have a sense of how -- how he's been affected by this moment?

REID: I mean I think -- you know, you do see a change. I mean he was very -- always been very committed to the Invictus Games. It was very much his project. Something he developed.

[11:30:01] But yes, he's a very happy guy. You can tell that. I mean they're both very happy together. They're very happy in each other's company. They're very much in love. And it's great to see.

And of course, you know, you can see that that lifts him up. It lifts the whole project. Now they're husband and wife. They're married. Amazing.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN ANCHOR: How hands on is he with the (inaudible)?

REID: Very hands on. Right from the start, he was. It was very much his idea. It wasn't something that was created and then he fronted it. It was very much his idea and it was borne out of a -- his trip back from Afghanistan. You remember he was a soldier. He was brought back from Afghanistan.

He didn't want to leave his troops, but he had to, and he came back on a flight with a coffin with a Danish soldier and three guys, and I think that was a real life changing moment for him. He wanted to go something. He went to America. Saw the warrior games out there. He very cleverly, he decided to internationalize that. He's driven it all the way.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if the word is evolving or maturing, whatever, but you've seen him at different stages in his life. And the military actually he said saved him and then now he has met Meghan. He's at a different point in his life. Talk to me about his evolution.

REID: Well, I mean, I've seen it over four years. I saw him you know, and he has changed and matured, and you know in the way he delivers his speeches. Comes across in public, the way that the public look at him and what they think about him. All of that has changed.

And it's going to change again because you've got to new role with the Commonwealth. He's now married. He's in partnership with another really powerful person. They're going to do great things.

LEMON: What impact do you think that they will have on this family? They are -- they're in an interracial marriage. Multiracial, multiracial family, and they broke from tradition somewhat with their, with the service and how they're handling this.

REID: I think a lot of that was a natural evolution. I think they've accelerated the face of that change, but it was always going to have to come. You've got to change. Things have to move on. They have to modernize. You've got a very modern young couple there. Coming together within the context of the royal family is a very powerful thing.

WARD: The military obviously played a big role in this, which is no surprise. Prince Harry himself has said I'm Captain Wales first, Prince Harry is second. What do you think today meant to the military, particularly to servicemen and women who have deployed overseas in dangerous (inaudible)?

REID: They're very fond of them. He has a special place in their hearts. You can tell when he's in their company, how comfortable he is. You can tell how comfortable they are with him.

If you look at the whole day, you had outside the church, you had guys who benefitted from the games. People he's known through injury, who have come through recovery. You had a number of people in the service and at the reception, who come through the games.

And then outside, you had the ceremony. When you look at the ceremony and you know, you could look at it from outside and go this is all very pompous and stuffy, but it's not. You have the blues escorting the carriage. His grandmother's carriage. His regiment.

There are guys that he served with and the guys ling the route. You had the Army Air Corps. Guys he served with. There's a connection at every level.

LEMON: Everyone is aware the controversy surrounding Meghan's father this week. It was very upsetting to them. How did they get through this? Take us behind the scenes.

REID: I wasn't involved in the background, but you know, I got married once and you know what it's like. Families are not as straightforward as you want them to be and clearly, all families are dysfunctional.

LEMON: Every single one.

REID: Things turn up. I do think at the end of the week, of what was a very difficult week for them. It came together beautifully. The nuance around the way in which Prince Charles handled that, the fact it was him welcoming her to the royal family at that particular place in the architecture with those gestures, that kindness. It was lovely, wasn't it?

WARD: It was. There was a certain grace to the way the whole situation was handled. Dominic, obviously, we're going to be watching to see if Meghan and Harry are at the games in October. People have speculated this could be one of their first big -- REID: It's going to be fantastic games. Tickets are going on sale

already. It's going to be great. Very insightful. Thank you.

LEMON: Thank you so much.

WARD: When we come back, the new duchess of Sussex, what will Meghan's role be like within the royal family? So many questions.

LEMON: You said that much better than me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:39:22]

LEMON: And welcome back to our special coverage from Windsor. We know Meghan Markle's title is the duchess of Sussex, and she now officially represents the royal family, but what will her new role be and how much pressure will be on her to actually get it right?

WARD: Well, here with us to discuss that is Emily Nash, the royal correspondent at "Hello!" magazine.

EMILY NASH, ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, "HELLO!" MAGAZINE: Hello.

WARD: I want to get to that in a second, but I have to start by asking you. You had a very coveted position yesterday while Prince Harry and Prince William were doing a walk about in front of Windsor Castle, talking to the crowd, you were right there.

NASH: I was right there trying to make sure I didn't get in their way and trip them over at the last minute.

WARD: What was that like?

NASH: That was really exciting actually. I'm one of few U.K. journalists who follows them around and covers all their engagements.

[11:40:07] And what happened yesterday was it was an impromptu walk about. We weren't 100 percent sure it was going to happen, and I got a call and was told to get there within 5 minutes. Luckily, I wasn't far away. It was fantastic. Really magical walk about.

LEMON: I saw a scene on one of the entertainment shows and one of the reporters said Perry, are you ready, he goes, yes, I'm ready, I'm ready. So, he was excited.

NASH: He was delightful. If he nervous, he didn't show it all. He seemed really excited and happy.

LEMON: You were inside the ceremony.

NASH: I was inside the castle in a little side room watching. I did get to go into the chapel this morning and the smell of those flowers was incredible.

WARD: We actually learned earlier on that apparently, Meghan and her mother had arrived yesterday for the ceremony and rehearsal and felt that there weren't enough flowers. And suddenly (inaudible) had all of her employees were told get more flowers.

NASH: My understanding is that it took three days to install those arches. Wednesday, the foliage on Thursday, actually, the fresh beautiful flowers were placed overnight so this is the first time she saw them. No wonder she was a bit disappointed yesterday.

LEMON: When a princess calls and says I need more flower, you get more flowers.

WARD: So, what will her role be? She's the duchess of Sussex. She has other titles depending when she's in Scotland, Ireland, but give us a better sense of what her role would really be, or will she define it for herself?

NASH: I think she will define it for herself. She's representing the queen whether that's in the U.K. or overseas. When she's out on duty, that's her key role. But she and Harry have a lot more flexibility than William and Kate, for example, who are going to be king and queen eventually.

They've got a little bit more freedom to go and explore and pursue interests that they care about. So far, they've picked some punchy topic, so I'm really, really excited to see what she's going to do next.

LEMON: Talk to me about the title because she is actually Princess Harry, right?

NASH: Yes, technically Princess Henry of Wales.

LEMON: Was this least controversial title they can pick because there's never been a duchess of Sussex?

NASH: Not officially, no. I think Kate might be able to help with this better. The last duke of Sussex didn't officially have a wife.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: In 1843, Queen Victoria's favorite uncle actually escorted her down the aisle because her father was no longer alive. He was a liberal figure, reforming figure. Sounds quite fun. He did have very happy marriages. Just worked with a lady who his father approved up, George III. Just had to marry someone different. Good on him. Saying he wasn't allowed to marry.

LEMON: How do they pick what duke or duchess or that they're going to be?

WILLIAMS: They decide, talk about it with Harry. He's got a title for Scotland.

LEMON: So, he has a say in it.

WILLIAMS: He has a say in it. He's the Earl (inaudible) and he's also the Baron on (inaudible). He doesn't have a welsh title because he's Prince Henry of Wales. So, she went in, Miss Markle, came out Princess Henry, and it's usual discussed in terms of what kind of image they gave and message.

NASH: And what precedence as well.

WILLIAMS: Dubious ones out there.

LEMON: Can I ask you a question? You said you were one of the, sort of a behind the scenes reporter. The press pool as they say in the states.

NASH: Exactly that, yes.

LEMON: Have you noticed, you've been watching him and Meghan. Have you seen a transformation?

NASH: It's so clear. I remember going out and seeing him on the job in Nottingham and it was just before we found out about Meghan. I remember saying to a colleague, he's in good form. He's so happy. He looks really trim. He just seemed really relaxed. There was something going on, and sure enough, months later, we found out about Meghan, and you know, he seemed transformed.

WARD: I may or may not read "Hello!" magazine when I'm at the hairdressers or airport, obviously, Kate is really your cover star. Will Meghan now --

NASH: Meghan is already there. Readers love her. She's so inspiring. There's so much about her for young girls to aspire to, but she's just got a lot about her. A lot of life experience and she's really interesting.

LEMON: She's the future. Yes. I keep going back to that, but she really is. And I think she's going to have a very positive impact not only on the monarchy, but on the U.K.

NASH: That's true. As a couple, they have this enormous star power. They're going to really be able to work wonders if they focus on the right areas.

[11:45:11] LEMON: What do you think makes them so relatable? You said she's there. It's because of their relatability, right?

NASH: It is. It's the fact that they've both gone out there. They've had successful careers. Harry in the army. They're not princesses and princes of old, who have stayed behind castle walls. A lot of Harry's comrades were there today. It was really important to him that they were there. They're the people he spent time with.

WARD: Do you think he gets more leeway because he is not the future king of England?

NASH: Yes, I think he does. It also means he's had to work harder to out a role for himself because it wasn't an obvious one and there's also the risk dating back to heir in the spare. There's been a precedent of spares in the past going slightly astray. So, he's done incredibly well to create this role.

LEMON: I would say he's had more of an impact than his brother. He may have more of an impact. Certainly, is a bigger personality.

NASH: It's interesting because William is actually a really funny guy, but more reserved and he has to be because of his role. He's always going to be mindful of that.

WARD: Emily Nash, thank you so much for breaking it down with us. Everyone's going to be watching very, very closely.

LEMON: Also, make sure you stay with us. We're going to be talking specifically about Meghan's dress and the designer and what it says about what we can expect from fashion -- from the fashion sense of her as a royal.

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[11:51:07]

WARD: All right, welcome back. We're now at my favorite bit, Don, we get to talk about the dress and what a dress it was. She wore an elegant, timeless Clare Waight Keller paired with a 16-foot stunning veil, and for her something borrowed, she wore Queen Mary's diamond tiara, as one does.

LEMON: It's 16 feet, oh, my gosh. How do you carry -- does that weigh a ton? Well, let's talk about it. Let's break it down. The editor of the fashion blog "Meghan's Mirror" is here, her name is Christine Ross. Everyone has been talking about the dress for months. What is she going to wear, 16 feet of train, that's crazy?

CHRISTINE ROSS, EDITOR, "MEGHAN'S MIRROR" BLOG: That's pretty long.

LEMON: What did you think?

ROSS: I thought the word of the day is royal. She just looked spectacularly royal. I was very surprised at the choice of designer, but not with the style. It was kind of spot on with what I expected. Very clean lines, a very slim silhouette. It's really if line with the styles that she's worn in the past for formal events. So, it was really kind of in line with her usual taste.

LEMON: But the money was on Ralph and Russo.

ROSS: We expected this big glittery, you know, poufy princess dress and we got something completely different.

WARD: But this is in keeping with her style. She's very fashion forward. She's all about the simple cool understated elegance. This was an understated dress.

ROSS: It was very understated. You know, she loves clean lines. She loves more in structuring than in frills and glitter. So, this wasn't from an analysis of fashion, it wasn't a huge surprise. For a royal wedding gown, a lot of people were looking for a princessy affair.

LEMON: But it is Audrey Hepburn. ROSS: It's very Audrey Hepburn and it is very royal. There's plenty of other royal women who have chosen similar styles. So, I think royal is the word more than princess is.

LEMON: So, I think the reaction to the dress may be more immediate because people were thinking something else. When we look back in history and the silhouette of this dress, I think it will hold up very well.

ROSS: Absolutely. History will remember this dress very fondly although I don't know if Twitter is going to remember it so well.

LEMON: Twitter doesn't remember anything.

ROSS: Exactly right.

WARD: That boat neck was what struck me. It was so elegant, so regal, as you said. It really just didn't look anything like I think I had expected. It certainly didn't look anything like Kate Middleton's dress.

ROSS: Absolutely. I love that boat neck because it was almost like a centimeter a little bit wider than you would have expected. Where it's almost risque but still very appropriate.

LEMON: I said that earlier and someone didn't agree with me because I think she wore it -- didn't she wear something recently that was sleeveless or off the shoulder?

ROSS: She wore a jacket that was slightly off the shoulder. There was quite a to-do about it. Clearly the queen wasn't too bothered by it because she had to have approved the dress.

LEMON: So, listen, when you look at these dresses or whatever and how, as we've been speaking about holding up over time, I think this one is timeless and classic. As you look at some photographs, you'll look at Jackie Kennedy or Audrey Hepburn or what have you. You could wear the dress today. You could wear it 50 years into the future. Princess Diana, as much as we love her, it was an '80s dress. I don't that will happen with this.

ROSS: I think you're right. I think this one is really going to stand the test of time. Just the same way you're going to wear it five decades from now. It's not going to date or age in quite the same way. That Diana's did or Fergies did in the same way.

LEMON: Not to say it wasn't beautiful.

ROSS: It was '80s.

WARD: There was a lot of fabric. Who didn't love the '80s, but it was very '80s. What can we expect from her going forward in terms of -- will she continue to make sort of slightly bold unusual choices? Because Kate Middleton tends to play it pretty safe in terms of her royal style. [11:55:09] ROSS: Yes, Kate's royal style is perfect. It's always very quintessentially British. I think Meghan's an American, she's mature, she's modern. We're going to see that in her fashion going forward. She's already choosing when she wore a suit to the day, it was a suit which was appropriate, but it was very modern, a funky cut to it, and I think we'll see more of that, where she hits, you know, most of the boxes but adds something unexpected to it.

LEMON: I'm sure a lot of ladies are -- you're going to see this dress a lot.

ROSS: I think so.

WARD: You're going to see a lot of people looking at your blog as well. Of course, your website which is, you know, every in and out, every outfit.

ROSS: Absolutely.

LEMON: Did she pick the right crown?

WARD: The tiara?

ROSS: I loved that no one guessed the tiara. We all had money on other tiaras. Absolutely no one thought this was going to be the one.

WARD: Queen Mary's tiara. Christine, thank you so much for joining us.

LEMON: We've got much more ahead in the NEWSROOM. Our special coverage of the royal wedding continues right after this quick break.

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