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CNN Live Event/Special

Prince Philip Laid To Rest After Decades Of Service To The Crown. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired April 17, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

[10:59:48]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: She's lost, Anderson, all the people she could be normal with effectively -- her mother, her sister, her father, and now Prince Philip. And we look to a new shape of monarchy really and we'll see much more of Charles and William stepping into that role.

The Queen will remain the Queen, but I think the monarchy will look like Charles and William from now on.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Yes. Max, as you were talking, we were seeing those shots of Prince Harry and Prince William, as you said, breaking off together from Kate, who was also standing by.

Do we know how long Harry is staying? And I know obviously there's no cameras now where the family is gathered, but of course, one wonders will they be meeting privately, will they -- you know, is this actually some form or a first step in some sort of reconciliation?

FOSTER: Well, it felt like it, didn't it? They didn't have to walk out together. And I have to say, you know, to have covered this story in recent months, the rift is deep. But people do come together in moments of crisis and it just feels like that's happened here. And I think that's probably an incredibly heartening thing for Prince Philip to see, looking down.

Both sides of the family have said to me the rift is there, frankly. They aren't in control of it. Only these two men can bring it together. I've spoken to close friends of them and they said it's down to these two guys now.

It feels like something has changed. They do have some private time. I don't know when they're going back. I know Harry does want to be back obviously with Meghan, as she's pregnant, but they do have an opportunity now to chat, start rebuilding, and I'm sure the duchess, I'm told by her office, was very keen to come over. So there's an opportunity in the future after the baby has been born, perhaps for the duchess to reconcile as well.

It's been incredibly painful for the Queen, of course, to see her family so publicly break up.

COOPER: Max, Kate -- thank you. Let's check in with our team here in New York. And really an extraordinary service, an extraordinary moment for this family, for Great Britain, and for all those who have followed this royal family for so long. And as we said, incredible how they were able to adapt it for COVID times and come up with something unique, and yet really solemn and lovely.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: And beautiful. It was beautifully put together. The music was individual to what Prince Philip wished, the arrangements and the choir.

I think the thing that struck me initially, when the service started, was the emptiness. I mean this is -- this would have been an all ticket event that people would have been clamoring to get into with thousands of people, tens of thousands of people outside. But to see the chapel empty, so that you had the space for the choir, the buglers and the state trumpeters was very significant.

COOPER: Even the staging of the choir, not having a full choir but four people, was extraordinary.

QUEST: And the one thing that I know the family would have wanted to make absolutely understood is that their grief today is being shared by tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people in the U.K. and worldwide, who have lost people over the pandemic.

Prince Philip was 99 and lived a good life. And if you look at the messages that the family, the children sent over the last two weeks, it has been to reinforce that idea, that they stand and understand and stand with people.

COOPER: And Trish obviously, this is something which will be watched hugely in Great Britain.

TRISHA GODDARD, JOURNALIST AND BRITISH TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, absolutely it will. I actually -- the thing I took away from it all, was that basically every cloud has a silver lining. The fact that COVID and the pandemic has been going on meant for one thing, that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had more time together. And also, I think --

QUEST: Absolutely.

COOPER: In this past year?

GODDARD: In this past year, much more than they normally would have done. And I also think the fact that everybody had to wear a mask meant they had some sort of privacy in their grief.

And I agree with you, the camera angles and the camera shots were so beautifully done and they avoided honing in on and exacerbating people's grief. And I think that's a really important thing, that behind a mask you feel you can cry or you can do whatever you want to do. If the cameras had been able to focus in on people's faces, as you said, it's very difficult to grieve in public.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think we saw a Queen grieving there.

GODDARD: Yes.

CHATTERLEY: Her head was down most of the time and the downside of the fact that they have this period of time where he was sick, but they were together during the quarantine period, is that she was alone in the church there, and I think that was just heartbreaking, quite frankly. And we barely even saw her -- we barely even saw her look up.

[11:04:54]

CHATTERLEY: And I think actually, the point that you made about how we feel and how people in the U.K. feel about this moment, I think the emotion of it is exacerbated by what everybody has been through -- the loss of life with the pandemic, the separation from loved ones, from grandparents.

So I think as we looked this was a lot of pomp and ceremony by American standards, but very intimate I think by British Royal Family standards. You feel the emotion of a family in great pain.

COOPER: And even that shot right there --

CHATTERLEY: That was it.

COOPER: -- it tells you the loneliness that she feels.

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: I think that the service itself was such a sort of distillation of who Prince Philip was. It was stripped down, it was deeply Anglican, but it had elements of his Eastern Orthodox heritage in that Russian hymn.

His faith, which was not ever sort of as known as the Queen's was as the supreme governor -- clerics who knew him described him to me as having a very deep and thoughtful faith.

I mean when he was at (INAUDIBLE) for the last few years, he would hop in unannounced to their six churches and he would just show up, and he would slip into a pew.

And I remember talking to one of the rectors afterwards, and he said he never nodded off. Every time after the service, he came up to me and asked me questions in his typical probing way.

But religion was very important to him. For his whole life, he promoted inter-faith dialogue and he understood the bible. I loved it that he used the very, very first version of the Book of Common Prayer.

And it's also a way that he has a bond with Charles. They both are searchers when it comes to matters of faith.

COOPER: In terms of the monarchy now, obviously the Queen is still the Queen. Prince Charles would be next in line. This rift between Harry and William, does it impact the monarchy? I mean, obviously it's a topic of discussion and, you know, certainly tabloid fodder in Great Britain. Does it actually impact the monarchy?

CHATTERLEY: It does in some ways. If you look at this and you look at the situation and the questions that were raised by it, the racial issues in particular, I think for people in the U.K. there's a sense that we were overlaying American values onto an institution that, to be clear, has been around four to five times the length of America's existence.

So I think the way that we look at this, and this is the way that we'll see the Queen continue her reign, and we'll see Prince Charles at some point take over, British people understand where this institution is concerned, for the most part, you wait your turn.

So I do think that it matters to some extent in the handling of this, I think it will be pivotal, but will it ultimately change the monarchy in any fundamental way, no. But if you talk to the younger generations in the U.K., this is incredibly important for the way that they perceive the monarchy because they don't understand -- Richard, you're going to disagree with me -- but I feel very strongly about this.

GODDARD: I agree with you as well. I agree with you as well. I think this -- as you say, it is a pivotal movement because the monarchy risks being very out of step with what is happening internationally.

And young people, especially -- and I do think there's a difference -- I know you're shaking your head, but we're oldies.

CHATTERLEY: They've always been out of step. And that's part of being the royal monarchy.

(CROSSTALK)

GODDARD: We're dealing with a media, and you mentioned the tabloids and the media. These things and these dramas have happened within royal families for centuries. But we haven't had, you know, tweets and social media and cameras in on everything, which you know, amplify everything a hundred times.

And I do think the monarchy has to change and I think William and Harry both realize that it has to change. I would even say Prince Charles saw that. He was talking about changing the environment way before.

CHATTERLEY: Change is a dirty word. Evolve.

COOPER: Richard, you seem gob-smacked.

(CROSSTALK)

BEDELL-SMITH: I remember hearing from one of the Queen's former private secretaries about her marmite) theory of monarchy, and you look at the marmite jar and you look at it from 50 years ago. And you think, oh, well, that's the orange and red and yellow and green marmite jar.

[11:09:59] BEDELL-SMITH: But if you look at it today, you'll see that it's been tweaked in a lot of ways. And that is her approach. She keeps pace, but she doesn't keep too far ahead. And she recognizes the need to tweak it.

COOPER: I was going to try to explain marmite to our American audience. But honestly -- I can't even explain it.

BEDELL SMITH: Marmite is very difficult.

COOPER: It's best not to --

(CROSSTALK)

BEDELL SMITH: It's made of yeast. You have to be English to like it.

COOPER: You have to be there.

QUEST: What I'm hearing, and I thoroughly agree, this is -- that the royal family does small shifts on the tiller, depending which way it needs to move.

Princess Margaret with Group Captain Peter Townsend after Diana, the abdication, which of course was a grave crisis, but again, they held steady to the cause and made slight course alterations.

And I accept that today everybody wants -- you know, as the film "The Queen" says -- portrayed beautifully by Helen Mirren -- everybody wants the grand act. Everybody wants the big change.

That's not going to happen. I'm guessing that what's going on behind the scenes and the sort of conversations that will happen over the next few weeks is how do we course correct. And that's what Charles was talking about. That's the way they're going to move this forward.

And I'm sorry for the social media world if they want a big bang, but it's not going to happen.

BEDELL SMITH: But it's worth noting that after Diana that it was Prince Philip who chaired the Way Ahead Group, which was ok. And I think he even said it's arrogant of us not to make changes, and they did. He said, there are lessons that we can learn from Diana.

COOPER: We'll have more of this coming up, more on what this funeral means to the royal family and for the royal family and how they'll move forward without the patriarch, who died and united them.

[11:12:11]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: You are watching our continuing coverage of the royal funeral of Prince Philip. An extraordinary ceremony that we have witnessed, the funeral of Prince Philip. The royal family now away from the cameras, inside in Windsor Palace. Let's go back to CNN royal correspondent Max Foster. Max, there's so much to kind of discuss about what we have witnessed, what is happening right now. What stands out to you from the funeral itself?

FOSTER: I think that sense of a new phase in the monarchy, the Queen on her own without her soulmate, but also her most trusted adviser, the person who was there right from the beginning, who always advised. And she nearly always took that advice, frankly, in terms of her professional role. And then behind the scenes, obviously he would run things. He ran this estate.

We'll see how much we see of her in the future. She will still define the monarchy, I think. And obviously the great difficulty we've had in the monarchy over the last year or so is these family crises. And in the past, Prince Philip was the one who behind the scenes would bang heads together.

But since he retired, he stepped back, I think, a bit from that family role as well. And I think, frankly, a lot of people thought the Queen acted very late on the Prince Andrew crisis, on the Prince Harry crisis.

But eventually they found a new way of working, which was that Prince William and Prince Charles came together, which is interesting in itself, to try to manage those crises. And I think that's the new type of monarchy we're seeing.

What's really important to everyone here is that Harry and William fix this rift. And it's deep and they're both deeply hurt. And Harry feels he was forced out of the royal family. William feels that he was deserted by Harry. Harry was meant to be his partners in a future monarchy. They were meant to be a joint face of that generation and he's not there.

So seeing these images on your screen right now is enormously important constitutionally because Harry doesn't need to come back into his royal role, but they do need to work together.

And William, going forward, needs someone to be able to confide in. And that man has to be Harry, the guy he went through all of the personal crises with, and Harry is the only person that understands William truly.

Obviously the duchess is very close to him, but throughout his life Harry was there and he understands royalty and the duties that come with that.

And I think Kate, would you not agree, that Harry is fundamental to a future William monarchy.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Harry -- also Harry, his life has been one of service. And I think this funeral being so focused on military service and naval service and army service would be so moving to Harry, because of course his two tours in Afghanistan, everything he's done for veterans with the Invictus Games. And I think particularly how he has always wanted to be in service. He wanted to be half in and half out of the monarchy, flexi-royal, a system that the European royals do, which I do personally feel should be given a chance and perhaps that will be the model in the future. But certainly Harry's support is so important to the monarchy and he is so needed.

FOSTER: The challenge going forward then I think, Anderson, is how they prepare for the next monarchy. The Queen is still super popular. It's safe as long as she's on the throne. They've got to find a way for Charles' reign to be as popular, frankly, and I think that needs to be a joint effort with William and Harry.

[11:19:56]

COOPER: Yes. From Windsor Castle let's go to Buckingham Palace. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is there.

Christiane -- we have seen so many moving celebrations and ceremonies at Windsor Castle. Obviously today a very somber and sad one, but also an extraordinary celebration of the life and the life of service that this man gave.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well exactly, Anderson. And it radiated outside of Windsor. I mean here at Buckingham Palace, still with obviously the pandemic rules, where they lived most of their married life.

Of course, the Union Jack is at half staff, but there were a lot of people. Those were allowed to come and congregate outside the gates. And particularly at the moment of silence, there were gun salutes around the nation.

They were standing in silence and it was really a moving thing to see even this far away from Windsor Castle where the actual funeral took place.

You know, you can't help remembering some of the things that were said and some of the things you've read about and watched about their life.

And one of the things that struck me after the Prince died, was a documentary in which it was explained that when he got married, he was this, you know, man who was going to have a really important naval career. Be an admiral, carry on his war service.

He was a hero during the war they say, during the invasion of Sicily. During World War II, it was his deft thinking, his quick thinking and his actions that stopped his and his company's boat sinking. He was in the east as well, saw service there.

But when he married the Crown Princess -- Princess Elizabeth, he said to her father -- his father-in-law, what's the job, how can you help me understand? And his father-in-law, King George VI was said to have told him she is the job. That Queen Elizabeth is the job.

And that's what he gave his life to. He knelt in front of her at her coronation. He swore allegiance to her. spent his life walking two paces behind her. And they -- the two of them embodied what is ending now, and there's no doubt about it.

Just like the World War II generation is ending, they embody the war sense of duty, of service, of getting on with it, as we've heard so many times.

Keep calm and carry on. That is not just a slogan. It is what this nation was about, ever since, you know, World War II, and that is coming to a close now.

COOPER: Yes. And this family carries on. Christiane, thank you.

Still ahead, we are learning how Meghan Markle honored Prince Philip today and what she's been doing during the funeral when she stayed home in (INAUDIBLE).

We'll be right back.

[11:22:32]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the royal funeral of Prince Philip. The sign in London earlier today honoring the prince.

Let's go to Clarissa Ward, who is at Kensington Palace. You've got some new information about Meghan Markle, who was not at the funeral today.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Anderson. She was not at the funeral, but the Duchess of Sussex did send a wreath to convey her condolences. The wreath reportedly was made up of locally-sourced flowers. And she also sent a handwritten note.

Of course, a lot of people have been putting a lot of speculation today on the rift in the relationship between Prince William and between Prince Harry. But I think when we saw that moment as they walked out of the chapel and they naturally sort began walking in step together, it really sent a message that this really transcends the sort of difficulties of fraternal relationships.

The focus today is on honoring Prince Philip and honoring the memory of Prince Philip. And of course, Prince Harry and Prince William both enjoyed a very close relationship with their grandfather.

Prince Harry talked about how they used to enjoy beers and barbecues together. Prince William talking about his wicked sense of humor, his mischievous sense of adventure, and recalling how he would take his three children off on a horse and carriage ride with Prince Philip.

And it seemed watching those moments, as they left the chapel together, that this was the point of focus today -- not the relationship, not the sort of difficulties that have happened between those two brothers. But honoring this towering figure in both of those boys' lives, Anderson.

COOPER: Certainly, grief and loss has a way to bring families together. Hopefully that will be the case this time as well.

Clarissa, thank you so much. We'll check in with you a little bit later on.

Back now with our team here in New York. You know, we were talking before about what happens to the monarchy and we were talking during the break about, you know, obviously Prince Charles is next in line for the throne. Is that a given that he will -- I mean, he's of an age himself.

QUEST: Let me save you.

COOPER: Ok.

QUEST: When you have a monarchy, there's not a dispute about who follows next, you know. You don't choose your monarchs, once you've already got the monarchy. It will be Prince Charles, unless, God forbid, he passes, or he chooses to pass it on to William.

And I think that that's what you're going to hear us really discuss now, is whether or not Charles should, would, could bypass the throne so that William becomes the next king.

GODDARD: It will never happen.

CHATTERLEY: Nope.

GODDARD: It will never happen.

(CROSSTALK)

BEDELL SMITH: I mean he has been training -- he has been training for this his entire life.

COOPER: But in terms of popularity of the monarchy --

(CROSSTALK)

BEDELL SMITH: -- in terms of popularity --

COOPER: -- in terms of it moving forward through history, should he?

[11:29:58]

BEDELL SMITH: Should he what? Should he become king?

COOPER: Yes, or should he not?

(CROSSTALK)

BEDELL SMITH: I think they're very sensitive to the popular mood. And if he is unpopular -- I mean, he is not as popular as his son, but I think the order of things is for him to take the throne after his mother. I was there at the Commonwealth Meeting in 2015 in Malta and the Queen was very careful to have Prince Charles sitting up there on the stage with her. That was her way of signaling, he is my successor. I want him to be the head of the commonwealth, which actually happened.

COOPER: He's also been waiting for this, obviously, for his entire life.

BEDELL SMITH: His whole life.

GODDARD: His whole life, yes.

CHATTERLEY: His entire life. And duty, remember, we talk about duty --

BEDELL SMITH: Yes.

CHATTERLEY: -- where the royal family is concerned. The Queen will carry on here, despite losing the love of her life, for duty. He will take over, because that's his role and duty, irrespective of whether he's been waiting for this for his life.

It was quite fascinating to hear Max talking about a future King William. And they've got great genetics. We may be waiting 35 --

(CROSSTALK)

BEDELL SMITH: -- for 40 years.

(CROSSTALK)

CHATTERLEY: This is why we go back to what we were seeing there with William and with Kate and Harry and why I think that's so pivotal, because the Queen is more popular than Charles. William is more popular than Charles.

COOPER: The popularity of the monarchy matters, I mean for a whole variety of reasons. But, I mean there are countries around the world which are looking at this and deciding about their own futures.

GODDARD: Absolutely. I'm Australian and British and I can tell you from my years in Australia that I really believe that once the Queen passes on, that's it for Australia. Because it's love of the Queen at the moment --

COOPER: When you say that's it for Australia --

GODDARD: I think Australia would opt out. I really think that --

COOPER: Of the commonwealth?

(CROSSTALK).

QUEST: No, no, no.

BEDELL SMITH: No, not the Commonwealth. GODDARD: No, not the commonwealth, but having her as the head of state. I think there's been a lot of chafing at the bit, if you like, but it's because the Queen is so popular that voices have been, you know, kept quiet. But they make no bones about the fact that this is sort of an archaic hold on the country.

QUEST: To explain to viewers who may not be as familiar, the Queen is not only obviously of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but she's also head of state of 15 countries around the world, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia. And then you have the Commonwealth, in which she's also head of the commonwealth but not head of state.

Australia for the last five decades has gone backwards and forwards and moved towards a republicanism form of government. They had a referendum some years ago in which they decided to keep the Queen. But that was by dint of accident of the question.

GODDARD: The question, yes.

COOPER: They phrased the question in asking it to citizens?

QUEST: Yes. So they are -- they didn't just ask, do you want to keep the Queen as head of state. The general view is if you ask that question, do you want to keep the Queen as head of state, you'll get a no. They asked, do you want the head of state to be elected by parliament, in other words, not a free vote of the people. And the result came back, no, we'll keep it as it is.

But there's a sort of acceptance in Australia, and indeed possibly in New Zealand, probably not in Canada, that after the Queen passes, there will be a republican movement that will succeed in those countries.

GODDARD: Yes. Yes, yes.

QUEST: And arguably in some of the other places.

BEDELL SMITH: Yes. I mean Barbados, Jamaica, have already said that they would like to move in that direction.

QUEST: But they won't as long --

BEDELL SMITH: But they won't as long as the Queen is the head.

QUEST: So Charles does have some extremely existential questions facing him. But if nothing happens, he will become king.

COOPER: I also want to talk -- we've got to take a quick break, but I just want to get in, at some point this afternoon, how accurate -- you know, for many Americans, certainly many people around the world, what they know about -- what we know about Prince Philip was based on "The Crown" which was wildly popular. I'm talking about the portrayal of him in "The Crown" --

CHATTERLEY: And the Brits, too. COOPER: -- and how that jives with --

BEDELL SMITH: Give me an hour.

COOPER: Well, we'll see.

Still ahead, the challenges that the royal family faced in planning and attending Prince Philip's funeral.

[11:34:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Our continuing coverage of the royal funeral of Prince Philip. Let's go to CNN's Bianca Nobilo in Windsor.

COVID-19 protocols were clearly on display during the service. We saw family members putting on masks as they came into the chapel, and obviously the chapel was largely empty, which was an extraordinary sight and a very powerful sight.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was extraordinary. There were only 30 people able to be present in St. George's Chapel, which ordinarily has a capacity, Anderson, of 800. And that was how many were supposed to be there when this funeral planning over many, many years was undertaken.

We saw the participants in the service wear masks, if they weren't in bubbles, as we call them over here, i.e., people who are living together at the moment.

There was also a reduced choir, no congregational singing. That's also prohibited under coronavirus laws in the United Kingdom at the moment.

And that's why we saw the Queen also sit by herself, an extremely sad and poignant sight for so many people in the country. And what I've gleaned from speaking to people in Windsor and beyond this week, Anderson, is that another reason that the funeral today has a resonance a poignancy is because 127,000 people have lost their lives in the pandemic in the United Kingdom.

[11:39:53]

NOBILO: So even though today did have some pomp -- there were personal standards, crests, medals, the royals -- it's actually a funeral setting that so many people in the U.K. can relate to, socially distanced, only 30 people able to say good-bye to their loved one. And that is really what has made today a royal funeral like no other but a funeral that so many, Anderson, can relate to.

COOPER: Yes. Bianca, thanks so very much.

I want to go back to CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster, Max.

FOSTER: You know, Anderson, I think they'll also relate to the fact that the Queen has been in a bubble in isolation here at Windsor Castle for a year with Prince Philip and some key staff. She's no longer got her partner in that bubble. Imagine coming out, seeing all the family at once for the first time in a year, all the TV cameras and dealing with that incredibly personal moment.

The cameras were very sensitive, I think that will be appreciated. We didn't get the close-up of her. That was intentional. But it must have been so difficult.

And, Kate, we did see Charles emotional. These aren't things we should be focusing on necessarily, but of course.

WILLIAMS: Yes. We saw a lot of emotion from the royal family. There was -- you know, you really felt for them as they walked in, processing behind the coffin. Really great emotion etched on their faces, the pain of losing their father, their grandfather, it was really so -- so really very moving to see.

And I think, most of all, the Queen there alone, just as Bianca was given who's given so much in service to the country, she vowed at age 21 to give her life and service to the country. And she has done. And here she was, her husband of nearly 74 years, she had to commemorate him alone with no one to hold her hand, no one to comfort her.

And of course she will have to go back to Windsor castle alone. It was such an important place for them. They fell in love here, they used to have Christmases here during the war. Now she is alone with all her memories.

FOSTER: And Anderson, on the note of reconciliation, Charles and Philip famously were very different characters. Weren't particularly close, but someone close to Prince Charles did point out to me, and made the effort to point out that Charles was in almost daily contact with Philip toward the end, certainly when he was in the hospital during that last stint.

So some reconciliation there. I think that was etched on the face of Prince Charles today.

COOPER: Yes, he certainly seemed very moved.

Coming up, we're going give you a VIP tour of the former royal yacht. We'll have so much Prince Philip, we who remember his life and (INAUDIBLE).

We'll be back in a moment.

[11:42:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: I want to take you a place that's very special to Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth. You are looking at it there. It is the -- it is now in Edinburgh, Scotland, the former royal -- the former royal yacht, the Britannia docked in Edinburgh.

Isa Soares is going to show us around, Isa. ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Anderson. Now, I'm on

board the royal yacht Britannia which was the home away from home for the Queen and Prince Philip's for 44 years.

This is the drawing room here. I'll just show you around. And this ship -- this yacht has sailed more than one million miles. It's gone to 700 overseas territories.

And this was so emblematic of what Britain stood for. Here is where the Queen would relax, as well as Prince Philip, where they would have afternoon tea. Many of the photos here still decorating the room.

Just over my right over here is the grand piano. Princess Diana used to play here, as well as Princess Anne. And it is here where guests would be able to have pre-dinner drinks Anderson before they then finally went to the banquet room, which is incredibly beautifully designed.

I just want to show you -- come with me, I'll show you a quick tour. On the way to the dining room is the Queen's office. There's a photo of her father, as well as the Queen Mother as well as you can see there a photo of Prince Philip as a naval officer. Of course, he had an incredibly distinguished career.

And then you have here the state banquet. Look at it, Anderson. It was here that they hosted dignitaries, royalties, everyone you can think of from right around the world.

Bill Clinton has been (INAUDIBLE) here and so has Nelson Mandela, so has Margaret Thatcher. Ronald Reagan actually celebrated one of his wedding anniversaries right here.

And at this table here, as you can see, there's no -- there are no two seats at the other end because the Queen and Prince Philip sat in between and among their guests.

And to set a table like this would take something like three hours. A tape measure would be used to make sure there's the right amount of space between each chair. And when it wasn't being used as a state dining, those doors would open, a projector would come down, and Prince Philip and the Queen would pick a movie. They would make this a cinema room.

It was also used on Sunday services for mass, and for Princess Anne's birthday party. They rolled up the carpet and underneath would be wooden floors to celebrate her birthday.

The Royal Britannia means so much though to Prince Philip and the Queen. They were very emotional at decommissioned. This table is a copy. The real table is at Windsor, Frogmore Cottage, because Prince Philip loved the Royal Britannia, and he made his own room, in fact at Windsor called the Britannia room.

[11:49:51]

SOARES: But this right here was everything that Prince Philip loved. His love for the sea, for the navy and really his love for the Queen. He gave up one of those loves which was his career, for his true love and that was the Queen. And so they have wonderful memories, inside on board the Royal Britannia.

And I can tell you only perhaps one person knows more about the Royal Britannia today and that is, of course, our own Richard Quest, Anderson.

COOPER: Isa, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

You have your cufflinks (ph) from the Royal Britannia.

QUEST: I do. I do. Yes, I made some program that I have been on Britannia a few times and I actually have cufflinks that were given to me on board the Royal Britannia.

COOPER: You know, it was -- they had to give it up essentially?

QUEST: That's a brutal way of putting it, but it's true.

COOPER: Ok. Ok. I'm sorry.

QUEST: Yes. And there were many of us who felt it was -- I mean it was a recession retirement in Britain, cuts had to be made. The Britannia was very expensive. That's a very famous one, with the picture, by the way, with Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan because Britannia sailed, they met up with them, there had been a terrible storm, terrible storm.

COOPER: You see the Queen emotional when it was decommissioned.

CHATTERLEY: Yes.

QUEST: Absolutely. And a lot of people felt -- pennywise, I don't know, this was where they felt at home. Every summer it would go to -- head for their summer cruise. It would be taken from one place to the next. She would join it.

COOPER: Let me just -- we saw also the Britannia in the TV series "The Crown". I know it is -- it's been a topic of much discussion during commercial breaks here.

How accurate -- and I'm a big fan of "The Crown". I thought it was very well done. How accurate a portrayal of Prince Philip is that to the way he actually was?

BEDELL SMITH: I think it was very one-dimensional and I think it was mischaracterized in a lot of ways and in some instances, cruelly.

For example, he was portrayed as having been responsible for the death of his sister, Cecile (ph), who was killed in a plane crash and there was a horrible scene in which his father after the funeral said, you killed my favorite daughter. That never happened and Philip had nothing to do with the death of his sister.

That was just one of many. And there was a scene actually on Britannia after he had sailed around the world in 1956 and 1957 visiting every commonwealth country that nobody has ever been to before. And the Queen was thrilled with what he did.

And the scene in "The Crown" was having an enormous fight and him saying you make me a prince or I will divorce you. And it was totally, totally, you know, whole cloth.

COOPER: Well, it wasn't wholly made up. I mean obviously, the facts are the facts, but the conversations are not recorded and, therefore --

BEDELL: But it's more than that. It's a fictionalized version of their life.

(CROSSTALK)

CHATTERLEY: But I think it's been incredibly important for educating people, whether you're on this side of the water or elsewhere and it gave face to the emotion of what we saw today because, again, for younger people, we don't study modern monarchy at school in the U.K. or elsewhere. Your modern monarchy understanding comes from social media and comes from the stories that you've read in the press.

So whether it was inaccurate at times or loosely, very loosely based on the facts, I think people feel more engaged and --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Absolutely.

CHATTERLEY: And that's important.

COOPER: As somebody who's -- you know, who's only done research for really today on Prince Philip, I do think it humanized him in a way. And made -- you know, you learn about his mom, his family background. I thought it was a human portrayal.

GODDARD: I couldn't agree more actually. It's not something I could watch. I have to admit, I haven't watched it, I wouldn't watch it and I couldn't watch it.

COOPER: Because.

GODDARD: I think I prefer to get my history from history books and multi sources rather than a television series. But that probably seems -- probably, I don't know if it's my age group or what have you, and it's probably because I was brought up in the area. And I have a friend -- I have a dear friend who used to go to afternoon tea with the Queen Mother every Sunday. And, of course, Brian Forbes' the film director's daughter and their family.

So I think when you're brought up in close proximity, you don't necessarily want to buy into the drama of the television series.

COOPER: Richard --

CHATTERLEY: But I think it helped us understand the duty and the frustration at times and the human challenges that this represented.

GODDARD: It does.

(CROSSTALK)

CHATTERLEY: And also it taught us about the humor. It taught us about humor and I think that plays into what we saw today. It's blowing (ph) up here.

COOPER: Richard --

QUEST: I've watched it and I love watching it but having been a former royal correspondent and having spent so long looking at these things, I think it all -- I'm recognizing the shifting sands of social media. I think it also stands a grave risk of doing huge amounts of damage --

[11:54:54]

GODDARD: Yes.

BEDELL SMITH: Yes, I agree.

QUEST: -- because, you know, there is this generation that now believes what was essentially a grain of fact, beautifully-executed in a fictional way to be total truth.

COOPER: We're going to take --

GODDARD: Yes. Same here.

BEDELL SEMITH: Yes. That's the essence.

COOPER: -- we're going to take a quick break. We'll have more coverage on the royal funeral and other events today right after a short break.

[11:55:16]

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