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CNN Live Event/Special

The Royal Funeral of Prince Philip; Soon: The Funeral of Prince Philip; Funeral Service to Open with National Moment of Silence; Soon: The Queen Appears for Funeral of Husband Prince Philip; Royal Family Arriving for Funeral of Prince Philip. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired April 17, 2021 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We have a spectacular view of the grounds at Windsor Castle, the country home of Queen Elizabeth. Soon it will be the final resting place of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, who spent most of his 99 years in support of his wife and in service to the Crown.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks so much for joining us. This is CNN special coverage of the royal funeral of Prince Philip. Right now, the Queen is inside Windsor Castle. We all await the start of this extraordinary farewell. It has been drastically scaled back because of the pandemic. It has been planned for years, but now, because of COVID, the situation has changed. It comes at a time obviously of strained relations within the royal family.

Right now, military units are gathering ahead of the funeral procession that begins in just a little while. That is when we'll see the coffin carried out of a private part of Windsor Castle where the Queen's residence is. It'll be placed onto a Land Rover which Prince Philip himself helped design. The procession will be led by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, one of the world's oldest and most iconic military bands.

Charles, the Prince of Wales and immediate heir to the throne, will follow on foot. along with his sister, Princess Anne, their brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, will be immediately behind them. Next, we'll see Prince Philip's grandsons and a public reunion of Prince William and Prince Harry, a walk in the procession with their cousin, Peter Phillips, positioned between them.

The 94-year-old Queen will not walk in the procession. She'll be driven to the service in a Bentley often used for ceremonial occasions. As the procession continues, guns will be fired, bells will ring out every minute about eight minutes until the coffin reaches St. George Chapel and then British National Anthem will be played.

At the top of the hour, there'll be a nationwide moment of silence and then the coffin will be carried inside the chapel for the funeral service. We have correspondents, royal experts in place across the United Kingdom to cover every moment of the funeral, take us behind the scenes, but first, want to go to CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster who's on the -- on castle grounds. Max?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, this isn't a state funeral, but in many ways, it feels like one, doesn't it? Looking at these incredible images behind me in the castle. So, these are all the military units, the associations which Prince Philip supported throughout his life. He was a very successful naval officer. He had to leave that role to become consort to the Queen.

So, we're going to see them lining up around this quadrangle and then we will see, in the next 45 minutes or so, the coffin come out of the state entrance there which you may recognize as the greeting point for the Queen for heads to state as they come in, most recently President Trump of course.

I can tell you that the Dean of Windsor is about to give prayers over the coffin within the inner hall in that building there and the Queen has personally chosen some flowers to lay on top of the coffin, white lilies, and there will be white flowers as well chosen by the Queen in the chapel.

I'm with Kate Williams, CNN contributor, historian. In terms of history here, we will be remembering the man here, an extraordinary man, an extraordinary life, but primarily what we're going to remember is someone who was probably the key advisor to arguably one of the greatest monarchies in British history.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR AND HISTORIAN: Yes. Prince Philip was the longest-serving British consort and indeed the longest-serving consort in world history. He promised the Queen he would be her liege, man of life and limb at the coronation and that's the vow he kept throughout his life. His advisor, her sounding board even after his retirement and her retirement in 2017.

He gave up his naval career, as you were saying, and devoted himself to both the monarchy and to the country and to modernizing the monarchy. He was something who -- someone who'd grown up around monarchists collapsing, including that of his own Greek War family and therefore it was important to him to leave the royal family in a stronger position, which he very much did.

FOSTER: He is credited with modernizing the monarchy, something that's defined not least the embracement of mass media and using that to allow the Queen to connect with her public and the Queen is living that out today, isn't she? By inviting our cameras in to capture what is a deeply personal moment, but something that she feels credits him, particularly when he defined every single moment that we're seeing play out here. He defined this as. Some adjustment because of COVID, but most of it he would have wanted to see here today.

WILLIAMS: This ceremony is all about what the Duke of Edinburgh wanted.

[09:05:00]

We see hymns about naval, the naval hymns, the hymns about sailors. It's all about military regiment. Seven-hundred members of the British armed forces here reflecting, as the First Sea Lord was saying this morning, his own affection for the armed forces, his own devotion to veterans, to the armed service here and this is the funeral he wanted, reflecting his own service, his family, but also his devotion to the Queen. This is the way he wished to be remembered.

FOSTER: Interesting because, Anderson, he never wanted to really talk about his legacy. The only thing he really talked about was how he just wanted to make life a bit easier for the people that followed him. So, I think he'd probably feel a bit awkward about all of this, but it's not the full state of air, at least, that he was trying to avoid.

COOPER: Yes. Yes. He said that he'll leave it out to other people to decide what his legacy will be. He just wanted to get on with the work he had to do. Want to bring in our panel of royal watchers and experts, CNN correspondents Richard Quest, Julia Chatterley, royal commentator Sally Bedell Smith. She's written biographies on Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles and journalist and British talk show host Trisha Goddard.

I mean, it is a glorious day in terms of British weather, which is saying a lot given the normal British weather. What do you expect to see today?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I expect to see a balancing act, a careful balancing act, between the requirements and demands of the pandemic versus the wish of the Queen to honor Philip's own wishes for a -- you know, he hated pomp and ceremony. He did not want -- I mean, as we go through the service over the next couple of hours, you will see a simplicity, but you will see a recognition of military values and duty and service.

COOPER: It's quite extraordinary that he hated pomp and ceremony and yet, I mean, his life was enmeshed in pomp and ceremony.

QUEST: Yes, but he was royal from the beginning. Never forget that. Prince Philip was born royal through both the Greek royal family and Denmark. So there was royalty in his blood from the beginning. So he knew how to do it. He didn't learn how to be royal, but he always assumed (ph) the worst forms of pomposity within that grandiosity and he did not want a big funeral.

COOPER: Trisha, you know, for viewers, Windsor Castle, we have seen so many events at Windsor Castle over the last decades in this family's life. What are you looking for today?

TRISHA GODDARD, JOURNALIST AND BRITISH TALK SHOW HOST: I'm looking for the human side because it's easy, seeing all the pomp and circumstance, to forget there's an actual family who've gone through very tough times recently, they've had a lot of death around them, they've had a lot of loss and family arguments and I think it's all too easy to forget that there are real human beings at the core of this. So I'm looking for the relationships and, if you like, the body language and the support for the Queen.

COOPER: Julia? JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're saying good-bye to Prince Philip, but we're also celebrating a life well lived and we see that, and we've seen that over the last week as we've celebrated the duty, the honor, the humor, too, is a crucial part of this as well and his wit and his charm.

And I think the other part for me is love and support for the Queen because she's been our center of gravity, I think, for the nation and for the commonwealth and whatever way you look at this, she just lost the love of her life and I think, to the human aspect of this, that's pivotal.

COOPER: And, Sally, obviously, you know, the questions -- the Queen is grieving the loss of her life partner. I mean, it is an extraordinary relationship. She was eight years old when they -- when they first met. I believe he was ...

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: She was 13. He was 18.

COOPER: Thirteen. He was 18. OK. I'm sorry.

BEDELL SMITH: Yes.

COOPER: I mean, it's extraordinary that they met so early.

BEDELL SMITH: And she fell in love with him right away. I mean, she had seen him at various royal gatherings because they were all related. She and Prince Philip were third cousins. They shared the same great great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Philip's mother was born in Windsor Castle. I remember when he first came along and one of the stuffy courtiers said, well, sir, would you like a little tour of Windsor Castle? And he said, well, my mother was born here, so I think I know it.

But they -- but there was a bond from them in the very beginning. She fell deeply in love with him. I mean, it was the first major decision that she ever made in her life and she was utterly determined to do it and he fell in love with her.

COOPER: And their life, though, took a turn. I mean, they had plans that they had made in terms of what they were going to do. He was going to be in the military and then the death of the Queen's father elevated her to the throne.

[09:10:04]

BEDELL SMITH: It changed everything. They'd been living five years really as a sort of normal husband and wife, but suddenly she was Queen, suddenly he was required to be two steps behind her and I have to say, in the following nearly 70 years, he never -- the saying is he never put a foot wrong. He always showed up on time, he was always behind her and he was always there to support her.

And now, it was hard for him in the beginning because he was a hard- charging, leading kind of guy and he was impatient and he wanted to modernize the monarchy, which he did in a lot of ways, but she knew she could count on him in so many ways.

COOPER: We're going to see a lot of British regiments, military regiments, all of them paying tribute to Prince Philip, all of which he had associations with. There is much more ahead. The funeral procession, including Prince William and Prince Harry, begins soon and a royal relative will share insights into Prince Philip, hardships he faced and his unique sense of humor. Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece joins us next.

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[09:15:00]

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COOPER: We're back with our coverage of the royal funeral of Prince Philip on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Prince William and Duchess Kate arrived by a car a short while ago. We expect to get to see more family, royal family members soon. It is very much a small family gathering. Before the funeral procession gets underway, let's check in with CNN's Bianca Nobilo. She's in the town of Windsor. So the military right now is playing a very prominent role in this funeral. Can you explain why?

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are going to be 730 members of the military and the armed forces involved in the funeral proceedings today. They obviously had a particularly important place in Prince Philip's heart. We can probably see some live pictures. Our viewers can take a look at various different regiments in the military rehearsing inside the private grounds of Windsor Castle inside the quadrangle.

You might notice that both of them aren't wearing masks and aren't socially distancing. I understand that's because they've been undertaking rapid flow tests to ensure that everybody on this day complies with COVID protocols and, Anderson, that's really reflected in the atmosphere directly around me. I'm right in front of the castle, but around me in every direction are members of the police and stewards helping to keep the public at bay and making sure that these paired down funeral commemorations remain that way.

We would ordinarily expect thousands of people to be lining these streets, perhaps camping out the days before, leaving tributes and flowers and messages to Prince Philip on the grounds outside Windsor Castle, but the royal family has specifically asked for no exceptions for Prince Philip's funeral. Everyone must comply with the COVID protocols. So they're asking for online condolences, no one to congregate at the royal residences.

And there are police, as I mentioned, armed and unarmed, but they're having -- they're not heavy-handed. They're acting very sensitively, they're stepping back and only encouraging people to move along, to make sure that the roads aren't blocked. The same with the stewards here, Anderson. So it is an oddly incongruous setting that such an important, towering figure in British public life and now British history has a funeral which is so sedate. There's no fuss, but that is the way that the Duke of Edinburgh would have preferred it, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes. Let's just take a moment and just look at some of these images that we are seeing. Just extraordinary, extraordinary morning in Windsor.

Joining me now is Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, part of the extended family of Prince Philip. Your Royal Highness, thanks so much for being with us.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Very good to be here. Sad occasion but thank you for having me.

COOPER: Yes. What was -- do you remember the first time you met Prince Philip?

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: I can't recall exactly the first time, but I do have memories of him more as when I was a boy and my parents were invited to Windsor and up to Balmoral. I remember one occasion actually that, you know, he likes to go up into the hills there and we would, in a pouring rain, I mean, I'm following my father up that night wondering why we're dragged up and down these hills (ph).

COOPER: There's sort of legendary stories about Balmoral about like the treks they go on and lots of people sort of ...

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: And lunchtime comes around and so they -- he brought -- Land Rover comes up with all his kit that he had all organized and everything and the food comes out and it's pouring with rain and I'm like, you know, I don't want to sit here and eat. And he says no, no, you sit there, put the food in your -- in front of you and, you know, gets you to enjoy yourself just by getting on with it, you know?

COOPER: Yes.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: That's sort of the nature that he had which we all, you know, so miss.

COOPER: There is, I think, that spirit within the royal family of sort of getting on with it.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes.

Cooper: Just pushing through things.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: And that, I think, you know, comes from his background, I mean, he had a very tough life as a young boy. Sort of the hardship of being a child that was sort of without his parents for a lot of the time, you know, is something that you have to get used to and I think he worked it -- worked it out pretty well and ...

COOPER: Yes. He also went to Gordonstoun, if I'm not wrong ...

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes. He went ...

COOPER: ... which is a very tough school in Northern Scotland. CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes. So, he was -- he started off in Salem where Kurt Hahn had the first school and then with the coming of the Nazis into Germany, he moved out and took -- and opened the school in Gordonstoun. So he was one of the first students in that school there and then that school has stayed on ...

COOPER: Yes.

[09:20:02]

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: ... and many people, including his sons, have gone through there.

COOPER: Yes. I actually considered applying there my senior year of high school to take a gap year there and the more I looked into it, the more I realized I would not survive very well in Gordonstoun.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: No. No, it's -- yes, they're great schools and, you know, these are -- so the ethos that he has is that you have to get on with things in life and Kurt Hahn, you know, believes in higher education, but also a lot of sport, social services, being good to other people, understanding, you know, how other people want to get on with things and that's kind of the ethos that these schools have put together.

COOPER: Which is really what Prince Philip's life was. I mean, it was a life of service ...

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes.

COOPER: ... service to the Crown, service to the Queen. He was her husband and yet he had a role that he also filled.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: I mean, yes, this is what I think some people are now beginning to realize, especially after seeing these different programs that have been mentioning him. You know, he had service to the -- to the Navy and then after marrying the Queen before she became Queen, he was still a captain and was going to carry on his career, but due to the passing of her father at a much younger age than expected, he then -- his career then came to a stop and and then he became her husband who had to just follow.

And I think this is where he's an incredible man where he's found ways to to function and there was -- there was no program given to him as now what your job is going to be is this or that.

He had -- he had to make it up and he has an incredible brain, I think, you know, the technical side. He loved engineering and things like that. So he really was useful and, you know, well, they helped redo Windsor Castle from a -- from just being an old Victorian place that nobody had lived in since Queen Victoria to their home. He was very much involved in that.

COOPER: People have talked about his his humor which he always seems -- I mean, I think the little bit I've sort of seen of him just on television and at, you know, public events on television, you know, he's often -- he's often in the background. So it's hard to get a sense of what he was really like.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes.

COOPER: He was -- people say he was funny.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: He was very funny, very direct and I think some people in this day and age will have a hard time understanding the directness of it, but it was -- it was -- you know, he didn't have to say very much, but when he had a chance to talk to you, you got a direct answer or a very direct question.

COOPER: Was he funny with you?

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes and I didn't see that much of him in later life just because lives are more complicated and so forth. So I didn't have too much of that, but I do remember, you know, you asked him a question and he had a very sort of sharp, quick answer to it of that nature.

And all his, you know -- I'd been to a few events where I saw his grandchildren around and all that and they'd all joke about, you know, oh, grandpa's coming through, you know, be on your -- on your ...

COOPER: On your P's and Q's.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes. But he's very funny and they would all tease him and he would, you know, be great with them. It's a very human person, but obviously, you know, you're also wary. You don't want to cross the line at the wrong time.

COOPER: What do you think his passing means for the monarchy?

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Well, I don't think it changes anything for the -- for the monarchy per se because obviously the monarchy is run by his wife, the Queen, and she's strong and the monarchy will continue and what will be different is that obviously that rock that was behind her is missing and obviously to his sons and daughter and grandchildren, they'll miss him dearly.

But it's not going to affect the continuance of the monarchy, but it just -- I mean, it's somebody who's been there for 70 odd years with them is a -- is a big deal.

COOPER: You know, when someone dies at this age, my mom died two years ago or so at age 95, obviously there's tremendous sadness one feels, but there's also just a celebration of what an extraordinary life to have been able to live so long and in Prince Philip's case, I mean, you know, all the things he did, all the things he saw, all the things he took part in. It's extraordinary.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes. His is a life to be celebrated because he's done so much and, I mean, he's left a legacy that gives us real signs of how to live our lives and I think one of the great things he's left behind is The Duke of Edinburgh Award which teaches young people how to go out there into the -- into the wild and learn about themselves a bit more and become more self-confident and they do a lot of walking around, using maps, being helpful to other people.

Just just great, great work that he carried through. His relationship with the military, all the young people coming in and out of the army has been an immense support and so they will all miss him a lot, but the legacy is strong and that's what I think we can all live by and I'm very happy to.

COOPER: Yes.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Ninety-nine years is, you know, almost 100. It's very special and to be so with it till the end. I mean (ph) ...

COOPER: Yes. That's the blessing.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes.

COOPER: I mean, to still be sharp and be, you know, part of life all the way ...

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: We all knew that this day would come, but when it did come, I mean, I felt a real heavy in my heart which you didn't -- I didn't think I would because, you know, he's had a great life and I wasn't seeing him so often.

[09:25:04]

But it's a personality that has just been very special to this world and we will miss him, but we thank him for the work he's done and wish his family all the best.

COOPER: Yes.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Yes.

COOPER: Your Royal Highness, thank you so much.

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS OF GREECE: Thank you so much, Anderson.

COOPER: Prince Pavlos of Greece. We're now seeing members of the royal family arriving for this very special day. Richard Quest, we're talking about 30 members in the -- in the group that's going to be there at the funeral.

QUEST: Yes. There are -- there are two sort of distinct groups that are being greeted by the Dean of Windsor as they enter the castle. We're talking about two distinct groups here, 30 in total, obviously led by Queen Elizabeth II, the close family, the immediate family, then the grandchildren and in some cases -- well, in all cases, the grandchildren with their spouses and then you go to the Queen's first cousins who are arriving or will be arriving.

To be -- to be frank, with masks and dress and a distance ...

COOPER: I believe we just saw Zara Tindall and perhaps Mike Tindall arriving and we're going to take a short break. We are standing by to see Queen Elizabeth for the first time as she prepares to say good-bye to her beloved husband. We'll bring you every moment of this extraordinary royal funeral. Stay with us.

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[09:31:16]

COOPER: And stunning images from Windsor Castle as we await the funeral for Prince Philip. Let's just listen in.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The tri-service band representing the military associations of the Duke of Edinburgh are playing in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle representing the Household Cavalry, the Royal Gurkha Rifles, the Queen Royal Hussars.

COOPER: Prince Philip intending to have a life in the military when he first married Queen Elizabeth. She was not then the queen. But that was not possible after her father died, and she ascended to the throne.

QUEST: And you'll see particularly today, you'll see the Royal Marines represented were -- until 2017, the last appointment he gave up, one of the last ones was as captain general, so the Royal Marines playing a prominent role as indeed the Grenadier Guards where the duke was a colonel.

COOPER: Let's bring in CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour. She is at Buckingham Palace. Just extraordinary images from Windsor. You have covered the royal family for a long time, Christiane. What are your thoughts?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, certainly on different occasions and big occasions. I mean, we have been talking about how this is pared down no fuss according to the duke's wishes and because of the pandemic. But by any standards, it's still grand.

Look at what you've been showing to the world for the last half an hour or so. It is an amazing sight and that's what Britain does so well, better than any other nation, frankly, in this kind of royal pomp and pageantry.

But I think importantly they're going to play the last post when his coffin is finally lowered but at the moment that it is lowered into the royal vault the naval band will play "Action Stations." That's the naval battle hymn and that is what is going to pay tribute to his service in the Navy. And a service that he cut short in support of his sovereign. He had hoped to go on to a long military naval career. But very early, much earlier than they expected, King George VI died.

The couple had gone on a Commonwealth tour and they had bid farewell to the king who came to the bottom of the plane to wave them off, then Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. And it was when they were in Kenya that he died suddenly. They had not known that he was in stage four of lung cancer. And he had to break that news to the queen.

And then, of course, he comes back and a few years later he kneels in front of her in this televised coronation. It was an amazing sight. He takes off his own coronet and he says, I, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh will be your liege of life and limb and earthly worship.

Just to say he spent his whole life in service to this woman, to this sovereign and to this monarchy. And the poet laureate has said today that he was not just a husband, but he was a husband to duty. And I think that really sums up him and his generation of the war generation, who believes so much in duty, so much in service. And who exemplified the ideals and values that were the basis of American values, British values, western democratic and human rights values ever since that war time era.

[09:35:00]

And there are some who believe that perhaps the laying to rest of this man nearly 100 years old, he would have been perhaps foreshadows the end of that generation of service, of duty, of memory, of what was so hard and so fiercely fought for -- Anderson?

COOPER: Yes. Christiane, thank you. We want to go over to Kensington Palace. CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is there. Clarissa, this funeral is bringing Prince William and Prince Harry together for the first time in many months.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Anderson. This will be the first time that the world has seen them together in over a year. And the first time that they will have seen each other since Prince Harry moved to California and since, of course, that famous interview with Oprah Winfrey where he spoke openly about the rift between the brothers, about the strained relations. And I think people will be watching very closely as the two of them walk behind the casket of their grandfather.

There will be a separation between them in the form of Prince Philip's eldest grandson, Peter Phillips. But people will be wanting to see what the body language looks like, what the rapport looks like.

Of course, though, Anderson, for the brothers, themselves, Prince William and Prince Harry, they really want today to be about focusing on the memory of their beloved grandfather. Both of them had a very close relationship with Prince Philip, talked a lot about enjoying beers and barbecues as Prince Harry said.

Prince William talked about his spirit of mischief, his love of adventure. He used to come and take this horse drawn carriage and whisk off Prince Williams' three children in it. And so for them, they will want the focus to really be firmly on honoring that memory, Anderson.

COOPER: The funeral procession for Prince Philip begins very soon. Our coverage continues after a short break.

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[09:41:50] QUEST: The Duke of Edinburgh's coffin draped in a flag of his standard representing the difference aspects of his life. The Danish coat of arms, the national flag of Greece, the black and white stripes of the Mountbatten family and his royal title, the castle representing Edinburgh. And on the top of the coffin, his naval cap.

The duke became the Lord High Admiral in 2011. It also has his ceremonial sword.

COOPER: Max Foster, that Land Rover is very special. Unusual to see it in a funeral such as this. Explain what it is.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he started work on it, Prince Philip, 18 years ago, just to show how long he has been planning this funeral. He changed the color to a military green because he wanted the military reflected throughout this service. You can see there the admiral's cap of Prince Philip, a bouquet which was selected by the queen. And also a ceremonial naval sword over the flag that Richard was just describing there.

We're about to hear the national anthem which will be a very poignant moment and then we're going to see members of Prince Philip's household lining up behind the coffin. His closest staff and then the royal family will join him.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it's going to very moving to see the royal family. First the children then the grandchildren William, Prince Philip and then Harry. And then members of the royal family behind that. I think finally giving the tone to us that this is the ceremony for Prince Philip and that we will see the queen for the first time as a widow, not a wife.

FOSTER: So Prince Charles there, the Prince of Wales, preparing to take his position, the primary position really as the heir in waiting behind the coffin. You can see there members of -- Duke of Edinburgh's staff, his private secretary, his valets, his head of security. And we can see Prince Harry as well in the shadows together.

So there you have the members of the royal family. You can see there Prince William and Prince Harry separated by Peter Phillips, who is Princess Anne's son. And we -- the palace will explain to us that this is representatives of the children and the grandchildren lining up behind the coffin. And there are optics here frankly, Kate, about separating the two brothers, with tension. But that was something the queen wanted to take attention away from so we're not going to dwell on it.

WILLIAMS: No. It's about unity and really, it's very moving to see. We have heard the children talk about what a void the duke -- the loss of the duke is going to be to them. And it's very moving to see Charles and Anne there who are so close to the duke, particularly Anne. And really, we feel their loss.

FOSTER: The queen will also be leaving the state entrance and then joining the state Bentley. She's official part of the procession but she will take up the rear in her Bentley. She will be joined by her top lady in waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, who has always been by her side, Kate.

WILLIAMS: She has always been by her side.

[09:45:34]

FOSTER: A short procession. It will take about eight minutes at the top of the castle grounds here in what is effectively the private quarters for the queen and they will go down the hill towards the chapel in this what, Kate, feels very much like a state funeral but it's really a military funeral. How do you describe it?

WILLIAMS: It's not a state funeral. It's officially a ceremonial funeral but it's very much a military funeral. This is really commemorating the duke as a naval man and even as consort putting the military services first was such a priority for him. The work he did for veterans and really that as much as we are saying his last engagement was with the Royal Marines.

QUEST: And as the procession continues, you will hear minute guns being fired from the king's troop, the Royal Horse Artillery in the east lawn of the Windsor Castle. One round every minute expected to take eight minutes in total.

COOPER: And, Julia, of course, watching Prince Harry and Prince William walking behind the casket of their grandfather, one can't help but think back to the funeral of Princess Diana, their mother, as they walked behind the casket as well.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a striking comparison. I think, clearly they are a lot older now. They're men in their own right but I grew up with that image of watching a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old following their mother's coffin. And, once again, we should make the point here and we will talk about the fact that they have been separated by Prince Philip and the queen's oldest grandson. But they were separated by their uncle, of course, the brother of Princess Diana at that point too. And I do think that's an important comparison.

But the loss here, I think, for them, as grandson -- and we have heard it in the tributes that they paid for him is truly profound, I think, at this moment. Not only for the entire family but for them having suffered throughout their life the way that they have.

COOPER: Sally, Prince Harry has talked in the past about the horror of walking behind his mother's casket at the age of 12 years old. And, yet, he clearly wanted to be here for this.

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: Yes. And also you have to remember, obviously, he was wracked with grief at the time and it was Prince Philip the night before Diana's funeral who said to both William and Harry, if you don't walk, you will regret it for the rest of your life. And then they were still reluctant and he said, if you walk, I will walk with you. And his support was crucial. Retrospectively Harry spoke about how dramatic it was, but I think -- and that was sort of a significant -- that was a significant moment that showed how close those two boys were to their grandfather. COOPER: Interesting that Philip was giving parental advice in that sense. He actually was, early on, the queen, sort of handed over domestic life to him in her family.

BEDELL SMITH: Yes.

COOPER: He was in charge of the children's education.

BEDELL SMITH: She wore the crown and he wore the trousers, as they said. But he was in charge of everything beyond her official life, including deciding where the children went to school and he was the chief disciplinarian. And he set very high standards, but, yet, he was compassionate. After Diana's death William and Harry were down in school and they spent a lot of time with him and the queen and they -- and they were hugely important.

COOPER: Trisha, obviously a lot has been made of the separation between Harry and his brother. You pointed out there was separation even when they were walking behind Princess Diana.

TRISHA GODDARD, JOURNALIST AND BRITISH TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, and I think the other thing to remember as well, coming to Harry, Harry is one of the few royals who actually served in the military, at the warfront. As did Prince Andrew in the Falklands, Harry in -- you know, Harry --

[09:50:09]

COOPER: Afghanistan.

GODDARD: -- in Afghanistan.

COOPER: He certainly did two tours.

GODDARD: Yes. And so did the duke. The duke actually served -- the Duke of Edinburgh actually was mentioned in dispatches for what he did during the Second World War. So veterans always have that bond, and I think that's an important thing to remember, that he also understood -- the Duke of Edinburgh, would have understood mental health, because remember Princess Alice, his own mother, had schizophrenia and was actually treated by Sigmund Freud. So, I think, it's important to remember that the Duke of Edinburgh would have some understanding about anguish, about mental health, about the effects of being on the warfront, and I think that's a side of him that isn't often thought about.

COOPER: Richard?

QUEST: We note that the procession of the royal family there is Mike Tindall and his wife, Zara Phillips. We note that they're not wearing uniforms today. A decision taken for a variety of reasons. The royal family, who are not part of the procession, are now waiting at the steps of the Great West Door where the coffin will be received. So members of the royal family, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex, and so they'll all be there. And then, Anderson, the coffin will be taken into a chapel to a piper's lament. COOPER: So the decision -- there was a lot of different reporting on the decision not to wear uniforms.

QUEST: They're wearing medals, but not uniforms. You can take one of several reasons. One, Harry wouldn't have had a uniform to wear since he's given back his honorary positions. The Duke of York should have been an admiral, but he's not been made an admiral because of other issues. There are a variety of reasons, which is perhaps, some might say sad, bearing in mind today is steeped in military.

COOPER: So Prince Charles' wife, Camilla.

QUEST: The coffin enters the Horseshoe cloister. And will be received by the members of the royal family, including the Duchess of Cornwall, Kate, Beatrice, the Commonwealth defense advisors.

COOPER: And there is the queen. She obviously not part of the actual procession. She will be going inside now.

CHATTERLEY: And this is a poignant moment, because we've heard about her walking the corgis and taking great comfort with her dogs in this past week. But, really, this is the first time that we've seen her since the loss of the man that she has been with for 73 years. So there's an emotional response, I think, even just seeing her today.

And I have to say, with all the pomp and procession that we've seen, whether it's a royal funeral or a royal wedding, I can't help but be drawn back to the Land Rover and what that says about the character of the man. It's striking, isn't it, as we watch his coffin making progress here?

BEDELL SMITH: He was a very idiosyncratic and nonconventional person in many ways, while being exceedingly traditional. I think both of those themes will be presented in the service.

COOPER: When you say idiosyncratic, in what way?

BEDELL SMITH: Well, that he would have a Land Rover hearse, for example, as opposed to the traditional case pulled by naval ratings which is what Lord Mountbatten had for his funeral. But this is very much Prince Philip. He loved to invent things. He created a picnic cart. There are all sorts of things that he did.

CHATTERLEY: Also, he went his own way and he did his own thing. And even back in the beginning where there were concerns --

COOPER: Let's -- let's listen in.

QUEST: The Land Rover arrives at the stairs of the Great West Door.

[09:55:08]

The Royal Navy piping party pipes "Still" as the coffin is taken into the chapel, where they will pipe and the pall bearers take their positions along the steps. Also, there are the Commonwealth defense advisors from Australia, from Canada, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago.

FOSTER: The coffin is about to be carried off the Land Rover and taken up the steps. Members of the royal family gathering at the bottom of those steps. The scene of so many historic moments, Kate, over the years at Windsor Castle.

WILLIAMS: Yes. So obviously many people will remember Harry and Meghan's wedding here in 2018, Beatrice and Eugenie's wedding, many more happy occasions. There have been many royal funerals here but it's really so striking to see the Duke of Edinburgh here. There with Prince Andrew we see Prince Harry and Tim Laurence. It's so sad to see the royal family commemorating him.

FOSTER: We've got the national minute's silence coming up, too.