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CNN Live Event/Special
Queen Elizabeth II, the Public Pay Tribute. Aired 10-10:30a ET
Aired September 14, 2022 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:01]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A very atmosphere, isn't it, (INAUDIBLE)?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): It is.
I hear Big Ben. So, the music we've been hearing was chosen by the Queen, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, for all funeral marches.
But spare a thought, if you would, for someone called Neil Brocklehurst. He is the color sergeant for the Scots Guard who are playing there alongside the Grenadier Guards. He has the job for keeping time. And what they've done, they have measured this, about the timing here, they've measured this precisely to get them there and exactly the same moments with both bands coordinated, and they were on walking coordinated. They have timed the music to 75 beats per minute.
And this guy, Neil Brocklehurst, you'll see him, he has got a muffled drum, his job is to keep time for this whole event and make sure they get there on time, but also don't lose coordination. And you've got to think there're two bands here, as well as the household and other members.
And just also on the Grenadier Guards, they've got this illustrious history back to Waterloo, but it's actually formed over 300 years ago under the rule of King Charles II on his return to power from exile. He restored not only the monarchy but he also restored the patronage of the arch, which is why this is a world-famous, band, really, and actually they were so affected by the death of Charles II in 1685. They wore black armbands until the Second World War.
ANDERSON (voice over): Wow. It was King Charles -- correct if I'm wrong. King Charles I was tried at Westminster Hall. He was ended up being executed.
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR (voice over): That's right. King Charles was tried at Westminster Hall where he was executed at Banqueting House, which we've passed. And then we have the protectors (ph), and in 1660, King Charles returned from exile, his son, King Charles II. And as Max was saying, the Grenadier Guards had protected him out there and became his regiment here. So, they date back so far and really reminding us that we have seen only three royal state funerals in the 20th centuries, four state funerals overall, the queen's father, George V, the queen's grandfather, George VI, and the queen's great grandfather, Edward VII, and Winston Churchill.
These momentous moments, these significant moments, very few people in the United Kingdom have ever seen this, only the few people who can remember the funeral of George VI, which was quite similar in fashion. He was taken from King's Cross on gun carriage, which has been traditional since Queen Victoria, taken from King's Cross to Westminster Hall, to lie in this historic place. Just as Christiane was saying, Anne Boleyn had her coronation banquet there. Elizabeth I had her coronation banquet there when she came to the throne, the same age as the queen here who we see, both of them 25, both of them seen as the longest reigning -- the greatest monarchs, and our queen, the longest reigning monarch, 70 years of such a great reign.
ANDERSON (voice over): The coffin and procession arriving at the palace at Westminster. The coffin will be carried by a bearer party of the queen's company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, from the gun candidate, in which it is currently on placed inside Westminster Hall. It will be a short service. The captain and the queen's company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards assisted by a senior sergeant will lay the queen's company color, the royal standard of the regiment on the steps leading up to the coffin at the south end, and she will lie in state and a vigil.
FOSTER (voice over): You also see the spouses coming together with the direct members of the family. So, at the front, of course, will be the queen consort and the king. The procession into Westminster Hall and other -- everyone else we've matched up, as well Harry with Meghan, William with Kate.
ANDERSON (voice over): Let's listen in.
[10:05:00]
[10:10:00]
MOST REV. JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: O God, the maker and redeemer of all mankind, grant us with thy servant, Queen Elizabeth, and all the faithful departed, the sure benefits of thy son's saving passion and glorious resurrection, that in the last day, when all things are gathered up in Christ, we may with them enjoy the fullness of thy promises, through Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen.
Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in god believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and pry pare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. And wither I go, you know and the way ye know.
Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not where thou goest, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me.
VERY REV. DAVID HOYLE, DEAN OF WESTMINSTER: O merciful God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, in whom whosoever believe it shall live though he die, and whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall not die eternally, who also have taught us by his holy apostle, St. Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in him, we meekly beseech thee, o father, to raise us from the death of sin on to the life of righteousness, that when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our hope is that our sister doth, and that at the general resurrection in the last day we may be found acceptable in thy sight and receive that blessing which thy well beloved son shall then pronounce to all who love and fear thee, saying, come ye blessed children of my father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech this, o merciful father through Jesus Christ, our mediator and redeemer. Amen.
As our Savior Christ has commanded and taught us, we are bold to say our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come and thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
[10:15:00]
HOYLE: O God, protector of all who trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, increase and multiply upon us thy mercy, that thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not things eternal. Grant this, o heavenly father, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
WELBY: And to God's gracious mercy and protection, we commit you, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace, and the blessing of God almighty, the father, the son, and the holy spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
FOSTER (voice over): So, Queen Elizabeth II is now lying in state, the first lying in state since 1965, when Winston Churchill was granted this rare honor. The imperial state crown lying on a purple cushion, as regalia representing the British monarchy, that crown now belongs to the king. He's standing, watching this divine moment for both him and her majesty. They're both deeply we connected with God and this is a religious moment for them.
But this is the end of the process where the family you'll see lined up, the king and the queen consort effectively handing the coffin to the public, something that most people don't have to do in their lives, but this really defines the monarchy that they have to do that.
[10:20:08]
They share their monarchs with the nation.
You've got the king and the queen at the front, Princess Anne taking a senior position. She's taken a senior position throughout this whole process, and the angst on her face. She was there when the queen died. And behind them lined up, other members of the royal family. The duke and duchess of Sussex given prominent roles today. That would have been the queen's choice, but it also would have been the king's affirmation that he wants them to be part of this family going forward. They might not have royal roles but a big symbolism there that the family is united in this moment of grief.
A short service there, the family will retire and allow the public then to come in and pay their respects. Mile-long queues around Westminster to try to have that moment. The sun is out, big crowds. These are the colors from the regiments involved being laid, which will stay there throughout the period of lying in state, and there will be a poignant moment later, where the children of the monarch will come and stand on each corner and pay vigil tonight, as they did in Scotland, which is a really poignant moment because they put their backs to the coffin.
COOPER (voice over): And we should point out, the queen's -- what you're seeing now is the captain of the queen's company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards assisted a senior sergeant laying the company's color, the royal standard of the regiment on the steps next to -- in front of the queen's casket at the south end of the hall. Then soon royal family members will depart and it will be open to the public starting at 12:00 Eastern Time in the United States, 5:00 P.M., about an hour-and-a-half from now.
WILLIAMS (voice over): And the Grenadier Guards, who we are just seeing here, the queen was colonel-in-chief (ph), her first ever state engage -- official engagement was reviewing them. And The New York Times said of her when she was just 16 in 1942, in a few minutes, she assumed the role of the future ruler of Britain and really reminds us of how duty, service was always so important to her.
I can't help but watch this and think of what she said in a speech in 1957. She said, I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws, but I can do something else. I give you my heart and my devotion to these old islanders (ph), and how she has tried to give us her heart all the way through her 70-year reign.
FOSTER (voice over): This is the dismounted cavalry. They're about to stand guard, I believe, Kate.
WILLIAMS (voice over): Yes.
FOSTER (voice over): These are serving members of the military. They're not just there to present ceremony to the nation or the world, they're also there as a deep protection. So, over the next four days, it's a 24-hour vigil, the public will be allowed to pass through. And this is an opportunity for the public to share their moment really with the queen, but they are not all going to get a chance. Back in 1965, 320,000 people queued up to see Churchill lying in state.
COOPER (voice over): It's also different units over the time that this vigil continues, different unit, the household cavalry, the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, the Welsh Guards, will all have time to stand guard as well over the course of each 24 hours. It will be divided into four watchers. FOSTER (voice over): Which is a deep honor for any serving member of the military who risked their lives going to war in the name of the queen, literally in the name of the queen, and now the king.
So, invited guests are other -- you know, it's a vast royal family if you take in all the cousins and the spouses, they're all there, also the (INAUDIBLE) and I don't think government figures are represented on this occasion.
WILLIAMS (voice over): I think we will see the members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords later on. But at the moment, as you say, it's a royal family ceremony. This is their goodbye to their queen, because Monday is the state funeral.
FOSTER (voice over): And so they'll stand until they're relieved of their positions, heads bowed in recognition of the death of a monarch.
WILLIAMS (voice over): And that these elite regiments, their role came from in the early days, in medieval period, as the king's bodyguard. They were the elite, the best soldiers who were the king's bodyguard. And this is how these regiments have evolved. They are, as Richard Quest was earlier saying, the elite regiments of the British Army. And this ceremonial role is so important to them and a great honor, as you said, Max.
COOPER (voice over): The history contained in this room, the queen's father lay in state here, her grandfather, King George V, as well, Winston Churchill, Charles I being on trial in this room.
[10:25:02]
I mean, it's extraordinary.
FOSTER (voice over): And the next one will be Charles III, which -- it must be very poignant to him. That's the leader of the commons there on the left nodding to the -- bowing effectively to the new king, also the leader of the lords. They have jurisdiction over here along with black robes standing at the front with the black rod and the religious leaders in this palace of Westminster. So, they're effectively taking charge now with the protection of the military.
WILLIAMS (voice over): Yes. This is -- as you say, it's the jurisdiction of them. The monarch only comes here by invitation ever since Charles I tried to break into the Houses of Parliament and arrest some M.P.s. And from that, he was put on trial, just as you were saying, Anderson, in this incredible hall, Westminster Hall. It dates back to the 11th century, had the coronation there, the first coronation in 1170, coronation banquets, including Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn, great weddings, celebrations, and more recently the lying in state most recently of the queen mother, such a meaningful -- such a significant place.
And as Prince Charles was saying, he felt the weight of history, and he must feel it now so much on his shoulders. It is history all around him. And his mother, she was so present too us, and now she's gone into the history book. She is the Great Queen Elizabeth. It is the end of an era and here they commemorate her.
FOSTER (voice over): Prince Edward looks really tired, and, of course, he would, and there's the seriousness of the new prince of Wales, and the duke and duchess of Sussex holding, as they always do. They're very connected physically, and lots of people have commented on that.
But this is a huge moment for them and particularly for the duchess of Sussex. Of course, she would have no experience of a moment like this. She's had lots of experience of royal events but none of us have had any experience on a level like this. But the direct members of the family have been brought up with it, as the king speaking to the archbishop of Canterbury, he's the senior figure in his Church of England.
WILLIAMS (voice over): As he is now supreme governor of the Church of England, as the queen was.
And I remember the pictures of the king's funeral, King George VI. The queen, she was there, she was veiled, but her face was really etched with grief. It's such a difficult moving time, as we've been saying, as a monarch. When your parent dies, you go straight into the job, and I think the strain is visible in the faces of the royal family. They are very heartened by all the excitement, by the crowds. And there goes the king with the queen into the car.
FOSTER: (voice over): And he's in his mid-70s, and he's had a really intense schedule traveling around the nations and meeting people. He must be exhausted and away from the fact that he's been grieving.
COOPER (voice over): You can hear church bells in a number of locations nearby, ringing.
FOSTER (voice over): So, I think this is now a time for the public. We're not going to see much of the royal family. The focus will turn to Westminster and the long lines of people having their moment with the queen. And then I think we'll see the king and the queen go out on Friday, where they'll be visiting Wales, continuing their tour. They've already been to Scotland. They've already been in Northern Ireland. So they have an opportunity to go to Wales to pay their condolences to the king. And you can hear people shouting, God Save the King, which will be very reassuring to Charles as he travels under the great Elizabeth Tower, recently refurbished, almost uncanny that it's ready for this moment.
WILLIAMS (voice over): The Great Elizabeth Tower, Big Ben, such a symbol of London, Charles traveling beneath it. And he has now laid his mother to rest in Westminster Hall. They have commemorated her. And it is the seventh lying in state we've had. There's been (INAUDIBLE), Edward VII, George VI, George V, Churchill and the queen mother and Queen Mary. And many people remember the queen mother, the crowds who came to see her. And we will see the crowds again coming to see the queen. We saw them in Scotland visibly moved. People actually were very distressed. It really -- she really was someone who felt such an affectionate bond with such a link. And that's why we have these huge crowds coming up to see her. There are so many watching the ceremony (ph) now.
FOSTER (voice over): It just speaks to why people are probably wondering why they're not seeing big crowds. All those people have obviously got in line now to see the lying in state, and that weaves its way away from this area, which is why it's so empty.
WILLIAMS: (voice over): and they have closed off so many of the roads.
COOPER (voice over): In some cases, people have made a choice of whether to watch the procession go by and then get a place farther back in the queue or to stand on queue and miss the procession. Now is the opportunity for anybody who wants to start to get on queue.
The authorities have said and warned people that the wait will be long. It may be difficult to sit down for long periods of time because it will constantly be moving forward.
[10:30:01]
They're trying to get as many people as possible through the hall in order to pay respects to the queen.
